MENA ICT Forum 2010 announces Development Zones Commission as platinum partner

Press Release - Jordan

The biennial event, which is widely considered one of the Regions foremost Information and Communications
 Technology (ICT) and Information and Communications Technology Enabled Services (ICTES) industry events,
will be held in Amman-Jordan under the Patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II, on October 10 and 11, 2010
at the King Hussein Business Park.

Commenting on the Development Zones Commission's partnership with Int@j and the Forum, HE Dr. Bilal Bashir,
Chief Commissioner of DZC stated "Today, we are witnessing a model of public-private partnership that maximizes
the synergy of interests amongst public and private sector entities. We follow in the footsteps of the Government
 of Jordan to augment such synergies and take an active role in fostering trust amongst all stakeholders,
 to enhance the mobilization of capital and resources. By being part of this important event, we are working
 hand in hand towards further promoting one of Jordan's key sectors, regionally and globally, and we look
forward to showcasing the ICT investment opportunities in the Irbid Development Area & Business Park
Development Area, as this sector forms a key economic driver for these zones, creating high value added
 job opportunities that build on the competitive advantage of the highly educated labor force of Jordan."

Further elaborating on the MENA ICT Forum 2010 and its significance, Mr. Aiman Mazahreh, Chairman of
 Int@j stated "This is a critical time for the Regional ICT industry. Amidst shifting consumer, market,
and economic conditions on the global scale, the Regional industry faces numerous challenges that are
unique to our part of the world, and that are of no less significance. As a Region, we must work together
 to address these challenges, seize existing opportunities, and create new opportunities for prosperity."
 He continued, "The MENA ICT Forum 2010 is the key event for industry leaders to come together to discuss
the future of ICT and ICTES in the Region, to establish common ground and identify areas for collaboration
 and advancement. The cooperation and commitment exhibited by our partners towards this end are invaluable,
and on behalf of Int@j, I would like to extend our deepest respect and gratitude to DZC for their involvement
 and unwavering support."

The MENA ICT Forum 2010, themed "Yesterday's Challenges, Tomorrow's Opportunities", presents a unique
 platform that is built on the success of the well recognized Jordan ICT Forum, and has expertly been
designed to share this success with ICT stakeholders across the Region. In addition to a number of
inspirational and leading industry speakers, over 500 attendees from the Region and beyond are expected
 to take part in the event, which will address the MENA Region's most pertinent and pressing ICT issues
 of today through a carefully planned agenda of specialized plenary sessions. With a strong focus on current
global and Regional trends, approaches for promoting online Arabic content, and IT enabled social networks
and their impact on Arab societies, each session has been titled and devised to allow for interaction,
discussion, and debate, thus providing an arena for global knowledge sharing. The final forum agenda has
been amended to include sessions such as "The MENA Eco System", which will discuss the complex and
interdependent series of technical, social and business relationships required to develop and promote
ICT industries within the Region and beyond, "Outsourcing: Opportunity or Burden?" which will address
the opportunities, challenges and best practices influencing outsourcing prospects in the Region, and
"MNCs in the Region: a Regional Perspective", which allows first-hand access to the realities of how
 MNCs function in the Region, and to what extent they have been successful. A number of equally relevant
 themes will also be tackled through sessions such as "Reality and the Cloud", and "E-Government in the
Arab World; Myth vs. Reality".

The Forum aims not only at sharing the collective knowledge and experience of global and regional
 experts and key industry players, but will also serve as a venue through which industry players
can meet to work out productive partnerships that will lead to further growth, ensuring that the
Region is in-line with strategic directions of the global ICT industry. More importantly, the
Forum will build on the already existing commitment of authorities in the Region to enable their
citizens and establishments to compete in national and global markets, simply because productivity
increases through better access to and use of information.