Jordan Times
Friday-Saturday, October 12 - 13, 2001
E-government projects to be ready in 2 months
By Francesca Sawalha
AMMAN –– The first two e-government projects in the national strategy to automate public departments and provide online services to citizens will be ready in two months, the local firm in charge of implementing them has announced.For OneWorld Software Solution, the company that four months ago won the tender for the first two of eight fast-track e-government projects, the task is challenging, but rewarding.
“For us, these e-government projects mark the beginning of activities in the Middle East,” said CEO Majied Qasem.
The four-year-old Amman-based company, with offices in Beijing and Boston, has so far dealt mainly with out-sourcing for giants such as Microsoft, and participating in the design of some versions of Windows.
It also prides itself with having managed to encourage the return of computer wizzes to Jordan, stealing them back from Silicon Valley.
“The skill-set of our people is big,” smiles Qasem. “In addition, the fact that we have worked on similar projects gave us an edge [to win the tender].”
The first project involves the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, the national authority in charge of regulating the telecommunications sector, including issuing licences and preserving fair competition among the operators.
Amongst the factors considered in the identification of the fast-track projects, visibility and e-readiness were central, explained OneWorld's Eyas Shuaibi.
On one hand, the government — and the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, specifically — wanted to be sure that the first projects involved government departments already equipped with the needed infrastructure to ensure the delivery of public services online.
On the other hand, Shuaibi said that the government is also working hard with the private sector to lower computer prices and decrease Internet connection fees to ensure that the public is ready to take advantage of e-government.
“You do not want to make the mistake of wasting millions by investing in services that people will simply not use, either because they are not prepared or because they cannot afford to access those services,” noted Qasem.
At the end of the first e-government project, telecom operators will be able to obtain any licence online.
Whereas this project will not affect the everyday life of large segments of Jordanians, the second e-government project is to enjoy much more visibility.
It will automate the Commercial Corporate Directorate and link it to the Internet, so that the registration of a company or office in Jordan will be just a click-of-the-mouse away for investors all over the world.
Vital to the implementation of this project was the recent introduction of a law on e-signature, recognising the legal validity of electronic documents and faxes.
On a procedural level, the process to carry out the project started with a “pre-step,” Shuaibi explained: The streamlining of application forms and procedures into one single form.
Strongly supported by His Majesty King Abdullah, the five-year e-government strategy was endorsed by the Economic Consultative Council in Sept. 2000.
So far, foreign analysts and industry sources have praised government efforts to push the strategy forward, especially through the introduction of more than 20 related laws, starting with intellectual property rights legislation.
Further deregulation of the telecommunications sector and a drive to support and showcase information technology companies could earn the Kingdom some 30,000 IT-related jobs within the next five years, the private sector has said.
Only one component that could greatly improve and complement e-government services is still largely untackled: Online payments.
Although OneWorld is equipping its e-government modules with so-called “payment gateways” — features that will allow for the future execution of payments online — Qasem admits that ours largely remains a cash society, at least for now. “Not only is the use of credit cards not so widespread, but most Jordanian credit cards cannot be used on the Internet,” he said.
“We still need to put the right legislation in place to protect users and ensure secure transactions,” he added.
As for the success of his e-government projects, Qasem is pleased with his company's progress and sounds optimistic.
“People are naturally resistant to change. But things will change greatly once everyone realises that e-government is not a threat, but an opportunity.”