Singapore delegation visits Jordan

The delegation's visit was primarily to follow up on the Technical Support Agreement (TSA) signed between the Government of Jordan and the Government of Singapore in October last year. The delegation discussed with Jordanian officials from the Ministry the Terms of Reference for moving forward with the agreement.

The Singaporean delegation was briefed on the main activities and achievements of both the public and the private sector in the Information and Communications Technology fields to date. Their agenda included a visit to a key e-service project at the Income Tax Department as part of their endeavor to evaluate and support the e-Government initiative. The delegation also visited a Knowledge Station in Iraq al Amir and brainstormed possible means to share experiences to further develop e-Initiatives across Jordan. They also held intensive meetings with representatives from the National Information Technology Center, the Information Technology Association of Jordan (Int@j), as well as representatives of a number of private IT companies.

"The TSA is a result of extensive work done by both parties and the follow up of H.E. Dr. Fawaz Zu'bi." said Mahmoud Khasawneh, CIO and Director of the e-Government Program at the Ministry of ICT. "This lays the groundwork for further cooperation in ICT programs, specifically in the field of e-Government where we find many synergies with what the Singaporeans are doing. We now look forward to the implementation of joint projects and further knowledge transfer."

The TSA was signed during His Majesty's last visit to Singapore in October 2003 by H.E. Dr. Basem Awadallah, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Jordan, and his counterpart, the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts of Singapore.

The agreement aims at the strengthening of the efforts of the two countries in enhancing their fast growing Information Communication Technology sectors. Particular emphasis of the TSA is on the utilization of ICT resources in Government entities and programs of work, and the opportunities that presents to the private sector for investment and partnership. The agreement includes two key areas of cooperation; Singapore will provide technical assistance to Jordan in the transfer of e-Government know-how and expertise and in the provision of e-Government consulting services. The second area of partnership is in the further development of ICT initiatives, institutionalizing organizations and setting the strategies for Jordan in areas such as regulation, ICT industry development, human resources development and broadband deployment.

As a result of the visit, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology and the iDA will jointly sign the Terms of Reference that will specify the projects that the two countries will cooperate in implementing, and the mechanism for the implementation.