Intaj holds an update meeting with members and hosts a grand Ramadan Iftar

In the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan, the ICT Association of Jordan – int@j, hosted a grand Ramadan Iftar yesterday Wednesday, September the 16th 2009 at the Sheraton Hotel. The grand iftar was attended by the Minister of ICT in Jordan, H.E Mr. Bassem Al Rousan, int@j Chairman Marwan Juman, int@j members and partners, and the CEO of Maktoob.com, Mr. Samih Toukan.

The event was sponsored by the USAID Jordan Economic Development Program – (SABEQ).
The iftar was preceded by a presentation highlighting int@j’s latest achievements, updates, and activities, among which the Graduates Internship Program in cooperation with MoICT, MOL, USAID Jordan Economic Development Program – SABEQ, and other partners, and the CMMI Certification Program for 7 IT companies in partnership with the USAID Jordan Economic Development Program – SABEQ.

Furthermore, int@j updated its members on the new ICTES Industry survey to be launched in early October 2009, the survey was designed according to the International Standard ISIC 4.0 in order to give an accurate definition and description of the ICT and ICT Enabled Service sector and its segments, in addition to sector domestic and export revenue, and employment.

Mr. Samih Toukan gave an outstanding speech on behalf of the Maktoob team, where he pointed out the importance of the recent Yahoo Maktoob deal, which will empower and improve their entrepreneurs.

"We are very excited about the Yahoo Maktoob deal... this is a success story not for Maktoob only but for Jordan and the Arab world, and we hope it will be a turning point for the whole industry and an inspiration to all our young entrepreneurs" …Said Mr. Samih Toukan, the CEO of Maktoob.com
With a great sense of pride, Eng Basem Rousan congratulated Maktoob on their accomplishments and cited their success story as an example of the potential of the Jordanian ICT sector.

Rousan encouraged ICT companies to take notice of the success factors that made the Maktoob Yahoo deal possible: talented and dedicated workforce, an effective business model that proactively responded to market trends and demand, especially as it relates to localized and arabic content, as well as, innovative leadership with strong “business administration” focus

Finally, int@j discussed with its members the importance of the online content segment of the industry and how it can be developed further to create more success stories like Maktoob.
It is worth mentioning that int@j has been demonstrating efforts in developing the ICT sector in the Kingdom. The USAID Jordan Economic Development Program - SABEQ has been heavily involved in working closely with int@j to support the effectiveness of the business environment, and to provide assistance towards expanding innovation and productivity in the Jordanian ICT businesses.

About int@j

int@j, the Information Technology Association of Jordan, is an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry-support association founded in 2000 with the aim of improving the dynamics of Jordan's ICT market and developing the Kingdom's ICT related activities. Membership is open to all companies operating in Jordan in the fields of software development, support, application, telecommunications, value-added assembly and distribution of ICT products and services, and is also open to the suppliers and users of these industries, along with universities and other parties supporting ICT training and promotion. The Association began with 53 members in 2000, ranging from the largest software developer to many smaller start-up companies, and now boasts a number of over 135 partners.

About USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ)

The USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ) is a five year broad economic development initiative implemented by Deloitte Consulting LLP and a sizeable team of international and Jordanian partner firms. By supporting improvements in the business environments and providing assistance to expand innovation and productivity in Jordanian businesses, it supports the main objective of building up the private sector as a powerful engine of economic growth.