ICT

Technological transformation and supportive state policies have led to 15 years of rapid growth in the kingdom’s ICT sector, now among the largest in its economy. Liberalisation in the 1990s and early 2000s made its telecoms industry one of the most open in the MENA region, but in recent years both telecoms and IT growth have suffered as a result of slowing macroeconomic growth, weakening global and domestic demand, and, in the telecoms sector, a high tax environment. Recognising the challenges facing the sector, the government has unveiled a host of new policies aimed at returning growth to pre-2009 levels. On the IT side, a new 10-year roadmap, REACH 2025, will help bolster competitiveness, human resource development, access to finance, investor incentives and Jordan’s IT export development.

This chapter contains an interview with Majd Shweikeh, Minister of ICT.