| AMMAN - The Ministry of Information
and Communications Technology signed a partnership agreement with the
German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) yesterday to advance the
Kingdom's e-government programme through training and technical
assistance for the next year.
The agreement was signed on behalf of Jordan by
ICT Minister Fawwaz Zu'bi, while Heinz-Michael Hauser, director of GTZ
Middle East, signed for the German government. Also present was
Ambassador of Germany Martin Schneller and ICT expert Andreas Sommer.
According to Zu'bi, training by German experts,
which officially began in April and is designed to focus on specific
areas of e-government, is well under way.
"Employees are being trained to deal with
network administration, the confidentiality of information in
e-government transactions and the setting up of an e-government
operations centre," said Zu'bi.
The minister further stressed that the agreement
with GTZ will not only provide local ministries with the necessary
know-how in implementing e-government.
"The skills acquired will also be transferred to
state employees who will become better equipped in providing services
to the public," added Zu'bi.
Valued at euro 511,000, this grant is the first
of its kind to be allocated by the German government for the
advancement of Jordan's e-government programme, said Hauser.
"Although GTZ has worked closely with the
National Information Centre in the last few years to establish a
national information system and develop the applications of
information technology, this will be the first time that technical
assistance has been allocated for e-government," he added.
Sommer, an ICT engineer who has been working
closely with the ministry, added that since the German government
ranks in the top 10 for its e-government practices, Jordan will
benefit from foreign experts when implementing its own strategy.
Furthermore, ICT implementation is being viewed
by experts as the only way forward.
"Jordan will benefit from e-government and make
its mark in the world of technology," said Sommer. |
