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 ­ intaj, hosted a grand Ramadan Iftar yesterday Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at the Sheraton Hotel. The grand iftar was attended by the Minister of ICT in Jordan, HE Mr. Bassem Al Rousan, intaj chairman Marwan Juma, intaj 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 intaj’s latest achievements, updates, and activities, among which is 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, intaj 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, intaj 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 intaj 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 intaj to support the effectiveness of the business environment and to provide assistance towards expanding innovation and productivity in the Jordanian ICT businesses.