Tejari CEO invites Middle East governments to transform into knowledge-based economy

Speaking at the 2nd Jordan Economic Forum (JEF), which took place in Amman, under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Hussein last week, Tejari CEO Omar Hijazi showcased the business benefits that have been derived by Tejari Jordan's trading partners in the Hashemite Kingdom.

Over the past year, Tejari Jordan has doubled in size, with more than 150 new companies across various industries, from banking and telecoms to logistics and construction, signing on as trading partners since mid-2004. Pepsi Co. and Housing Bank for Finance and Trading are among the latest prominent Jordanian firms to utilize Tejari as an e-procurement platform.

Hijazi, who chaired a panel discussion on the Jordanian ICT advantage alongside Dr. Mohammed Mustafa, The Economic Adviser to the Palestinian President, welcomed His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Hussein's vision of seeing Jordan transformed into a knowledge-based economy. However, he called on the Jordanian government to further advance online trading.

"In the US, more than 10 percent of the total GDP is driven by Internet trading, with the global average at 5 percent," said Hijazi.

"In the Middle East, we currently stand at around 1.5 percent of GDP, whereas Jordan is hovering at 1 percent. This represents a great opportunity for eCommerce growth in the region".

One immediate action would be to release the General Procurement Law, which gives the public sector a green light to negotiate and procure goods and services over the Internet.

In an effort to promote local innovation, Tejari will introduce its proprietary LINK technology that will facilitate the automated registration of companies onto the internet. "Our vision is to work with the Chambers of Commerce across the region to ensure that every company registering for a business license would automatically be provided a web presence on the Internet."

"For each company, Tejari's LINK technology will automatically create a web site, add them to a national online directory, provide them with a message centre to send and receive trade leads, and reserve them space for electronic product showrooms and e-exhibition functionality. This market-making environment will stimulate trade locally and across borders," explained Hijazi.

Tejari is a perfect example of how government initiatives can make all the difference in the region, according to Hijazi. "Tejari is an Internet company founded by the government of Dubai and positioned to be the Middle East's online marketplace. Tejari has now crossed the $1.5 billion mark in terms of the total value of goods and services trading online in seven countries across the region."

In addition to speaking at the Jordan Economic Forum in Amman, Hijazi and Tejari Jordan's Managing Director, Yazan Hatamleh, met with existing and potential members of the online marketplace.

Tejari's regional profile was raised considerably in recent weeks, with Hijazi also addressing the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia, and the 1st GCC E-Commerce Conference & Exhibition as well as the Arab Internet Standards Organization conference in the UAE.