Jordan’s Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, Ahmad Hanandeh, has announced an ambitious target to activate 1 million digital IDs by the end of the year, as part of the country’s comprehensive digital transformation strategy. This initiative, reported by The Jordan Times, is a key step in revolutionizing public sector services and operations.
Hanandeh emphasized the significance of this digital shift, stating that the true essence of digital transformation lies in transitioning public sector services, enhancing efficiency, productivity, and automating government operations. The move towards digital IDs is a cornerstone of Jordan’s broader plan to digitize access to all government services.
The national effort has already seen substantial progress earlier this year with the launch of a unified national register, serving as a one-stop platform for all government departments and institutions. Additionally, the government introduced eight smartphone applications and enhanced digital systems across various institutions.
As of August, half a million Jordanian citizens were already utilizing digital IDs for accessing government services. The long-term vision is to have 3.5 million citizens using digital IDs by 2025.
In line with this goal, two government service centers have been established at Al Muqabalein and Queen Alia International Airport, with a third pilot branch in Irbid. Plans are underway to open additional centers in Aqaba, Ma’an, Jerash, and Tafileh.
The minister revealed that 960 government services have been automated, marking a 40 percent completion of the national digital transformation plan. Such a transformation aims to streamline systems, modernize citizen interactions, and fuel economic growth.
A critical component of this initiative is the development of a robust digital infrastructure, which includes setting up data centers and introducing a private cloud platform for government institutions. A disaster recovery center is also in the pipeline. These centers are vital for the continuous operation of these systems and serve as a hub for essential networking hardware.
In a related development, the ministry announced plans in July to integrate iris biometrics from IrisGuard into its Sanad digital ID verification application, further enhancing the security and efficiency of digital identity verification processes.
This comprehensive approach underscores Jordan’s commitment to embracing digital technologies to reshape government services, fostering a more efficient, secure, and user-friendly public sector.
