(Amman, Jordan -21 June 2009): The Information Technology Association of Jordan –Int@j and the North Development Corporation participated in the BPO Strategy Summit 2009 in India, which was organized by the National Association Of Software And Service Companies (NASSCOM) in the period between the ninth and tenth of June the current. The participation was headed by a high level delegation from both the public and private sectors represented by the Development Zones Commission, the USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ), CrysTelCall, in addition to the North Development Corporation and int@j.
The delegation visit and participation aimed at encouraging long-term partnerships & alliances among both BPO sectors’ representatives and providers, and further explore the investment needs and requirements of outsourcing companies in India and in the global markets, in-order to attract those companies to invest in Jordan, and show case Jordan in general and the Irbid Development Area in particular as an outsourcing and call centers facility that falls under the support of the “Development Zones Law” and enjoys a very attractive investment climate.
Jawad Al-Dabbas Business Development Coordinator from the North Development Corporation said that "the infrastructure provided by the Irbid Development Area and the current efforts taking place in constructing Smart Buildings based on international standards are fertile environment to embrace investments in the areas of Communications, Information Technology and Outsourcing, which is our focus in this conference."
A study prepared by McKinsey Global trends “Perspective 2020”; showed that the demand will double on outsourcing contracts in the coming period, while a study by A.T Kearney showed that, Jordan occupied the ninth position in the global index of the service locations advancing in five points from the latest study that took place in 2009, which ranked Jordan among the top 10 destinations along with India and China.
Additionally, the Jordanian delegation participated in the conference Gala Dinner, which was sponsored by the “North Development Corporation”, where the delegation presented Jordan and its potential through direct interaction with the audience that included leaders of the outsourcing sector in India and other leading countries in this field.
The visit as well included several business meetings that were organized by the USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ) with the top outsourcing companies in India, who showed great interest in the Middle East and Jordan in particular for its competent human resources, efficient infrastructure and friendly business and investment environment.
During those business meetings, INT@J presented its role in the development of the outsourcing industry and the supporting services it provides for local and external service providers, as well as the presentation done by the Development Zones Commission and their new law, the “North Development Corporation” and the Irbid & Mafraq Development areas mission, and CrysTelCall as a local outsourcing service provider and a major contributor to raising the competitiveness of the domestic BPO sector on the international level, in addition to the efforts of the USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ), which supports many of the private sector outsourcing initiatives due to its importance and its impact on the national economy. Additionally, important services and incentives of each delegation participant were highlighted, and focused on establishing open channels of communication, and discussed ways of cooperation and long-term partnerships.
Mr. Rami Sweis, CrysTelCall General Manager & INT@J Board Member said that "NASSCOM Conference has enabled us to define Jordan as a hub for outsourcing services in the Middle East and helped in triggering the desire for the outsourcing companies in India to establish branches in Jordan to provide such services in the Middle East. NASSCOM Conference helped us in building a strategic relationship between call centers in Jordan and outsourcing companies with extensive experience in India that will assist us to acquire practical experience in the outsourcing industry at the global level.”
The delegation also had a distinguished meeting with the Chairman of NASSCOM, who provided extensive information on their role to support the ICT and BPO sectors in India, during which the delegation also discussed possible ways of cooperation in terms of knowledge transfer and the establishment of strategic partnerships in many areas.
According to Mrs. Mais Daoud, Project Manager of the National ICT Strategy at INTAJ "The development of the BPO industry requires the attraction of foreign expertise because of their active role in raising the local potential and raising the work & industry standards, additionally the areas of cooperation available among both associations and other counterparts have several aspects and contribute to the establishment of robust partnerships, open new markets and positively impact the achievement of the strategic objectives sought by the sector."
Moreover, Jordan also had an active role in the conference through its participation in one of the discussion panels titled "Promising Emerging Markets" through a specialized consultant in the area of outsourcing that was identified by the USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ), where he defined Jordan as a rapidly growing market in this area, in addition to the most important features that will make it a potential center for the region and the Gulf States in particular.
Mr. Kinan Jaradat, the BPO sector lead at the USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ), added "As a result of the dialogue and the rapprochement between the public and the private sectors, Jordan's readiness has reached its full thrust in attracting local and international outsourcing companies since its integrated technological environment is now able to meet the needs of the local, regional and global markets."
The latest results of the A.T Kearney study mentioned herein, gave a global support for the position of Jordan and its location on the world outsourcing map, which reflects the effectiveness of the efforts that took place by the private sector and governmental organizations in Jordan to highlight this area. This was confirmed by Mr. Samer Asfour, Commissioner for Trade and Investment at the “Development Areas Commission”: "The outsourcing sector is a crucial engine and a prominent supporting industry for the ICT sector, and during the conference we highlighted the “Development Areas Commission” laws, incentives and privileges offered to investors, specifically through the Irbid Development Area that was launched to be the nucleus of many economic activities and investments and to contribute to building on the competitive advantages available in the areas of Information & Communications Technology, the conference also included high lighting the most attractive opportunities for investments in the area of outsourcing through the various features available at Irbid Development sites, which will reflect positively on the provision of job opportunities for Jordanian skilled cadres and contribute to sustained economic growth. "