AMMAN — The digital transformation has so far digitalised and automated 960 government services, reaching a 40 per cent completion rate, according to Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh.

His remarks were made during the “A Year of Modernization” forum, which kicked off on Friday at the King Hussein Convention Centre at the Dead Sea.

The prime minister said that an updated version of the government application “Sanad”, currently offers 500 services and has half a million activated digital identity profiles, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

He also pointed out that two comprehensive government service centre were established at Al Muqabalayn in Amman and at Queen Alia International Airport. Before the end of this year, five similar centres will be established in Irbid, Jerash, Aqaba, Tafileh and Maan, while the remaining governorates will be covered next year.

In an interview with The Jordan Times, economic expert Fahmi Katout noted that digitalisation is directly linked to bolstering economic growth.

He explained that, aside from reducing unnecessary paperwork, the digital transformation of government services means that many jobs in the public sector will be obsolete “in the long term”.

However, lower operational costs mean that more finances will be available for the government to invest in productive sectors, which can in turn boost economic growth and create essential jobs, according to Katout.

He added that the digitalisation of services also helps citizens save time and money. Moreover, it will reflect positively on issues related to traffic congestion, as citizens will be able to “get things done from the comfort of their homes”.

The Jordan Times also spoke with Khalid Saif, an economist and former minister of transport Khalid Saif, experienced in supply chain management and digital transformation.

He pointed out that deploying comprehensive software solutions is the most important factor to ensure e-government’s efficiency and create “synergy” between all government departments and institutions.

This will lead to the creation of a shared database, which will increase transparency and facilitate collaboration across government institutions, reducing the likelihood of using inaccurate or out-of-date information in any processing, he said.

For Reham Al Zughier, a Jordanian businesswoman, the digitalisation of government services means that she no longer has to reorganise her entire schedule or take a day off for simple tasks that can be done remotely.

“It allows me to save time and money by avoiding both traffic and standing in long queues,” she told The Jordan Times.

© Copyright The Jordan Times. All rights reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).