Jordan can capitalise on digitisation to drive economic growth — Cisco chairman

DUBAI — Digitisation and fostering entrepreneurship can greatly help drive economic growth in Jordan and enable the Kingdom to cope with pressing challenges imposed by the influx of refugees and demand for jobs, according to John Chambers, executive chairman of Cisco.

Jordan, which has limited natural resources, enjoys a “pretty good educational system,” which plays an important role in digitisation plans, Chambers recently told The Jordan Times.

“Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania get it very well when it comes to the importance of ICT…They understand what it means to focus on ICT and the benefits in this regard,” Chambers said during a media gathering on the sidelines of the three-day Internet of Things World Forum, which was recently held in Dubai.

“The leadership in Jordan is aware of how ICT is important for driving economic growth,” he added.

Commending the talent in the Kingdom in the sector, Chambers said: “Jordan does not have resources when compared to regional countries but it has a pretty good educational system and its people are its resources.”

He stressed the need to focus on educating people on jobs and skills needed in the Internet of Things industry, which offers great potential for developing solutions and businesses, especially with the number of devices connected to the Internet estimated to reach 50 billion by 2020.

By supporting entrepreneurs in ICT, Jordan can create jobs for young people, the chairman of the network giant said, adding that the majority of jobs in the future will come from small- and medium-sized projects.

Chambers added that Jordan is one of the first countries in the region to implement projects in the field of e-education and e-health.

At the media gathering, Chambers noted that countries that do not focus on digitisation and transformation towards adopting Internet of Things apps and solutions will be left behind.