His Excellency the Minister of ICT and Information Technology, Engineer Muthanna Al Gharaibeh and CEO of Orange Jordan, Thierry Marigny inaugurated Mafraq Knowledge Station yesterday, which falls under the Orange Digital Umbrella. The inauguration took place in the presence of Mafraq Governor, Hassan Al Qiam, partners of the project, in addition to the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, National Center for Information Technology and The Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development (JOHUD).
On this occasion, Engineer Al Gharaibeh said that the launching of knowledge stations stemmed from His Majesty’s vision to transform the Kingdom’s economy into a knowledge based and digital economy and offering services to reach all citizens across governorates. The Ministry is currently working in partnership with the private sector companies to find innovative and entrepreneurial ways as well as new dimensions to benefit from knowledge stations, to serve the local community and B2B business incubators and realize development for the residents of the governorates.
He praised Orange Jordan for supporting and adopting different governmental initiatives which aim to spread technological awareness in general and its continuous efforts to support numerous knowledge stations.
From his side Mr. Marigny said that Orange Jordan through its active contribution in the digital transformation process in the Kingdom, launched the Orange Digital Centers umbrella previously, which comprises different cities across governorates, affirming that the company, through its digital umbrella will provide the stations with integrated telecom solutions, where the number of beneficiaries is expected to reach thousands, and refugees will be included in the training in cooperation with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
He added that the Mafraq Knowledge Station was launched along with other stations in the Kingdom’s governorates, under the umbrella of Orange Digital Centers, in cooperation with Orange Jordan’s partners in this important project, stressing that this project stems from the company’s commitment to achieving His Majesty King Abdullah II’s vision to build and empower the community in terms of knowledge, the thing which falls in line with the company’s five-year corporate strategy, “Essentials 2020” which prioritizes bridging the digital divide and maximizing the benefits from the internet across the Kingdom.
The opening ceremony also comprised a tour of Orange Digital Station, which was renovated to become a suitable training venue similar to other knowledge stations that are located in other governorates, in which the training needs of the beneficiaries and methods of gaining from these knowledge stations have been identified
The tour also included a visit to the Jordanian-German Center for Excellence in Solar Energy, which was established through a grant from Orange Jordan and worth half a million JD, falling under its special solar energy project in the Mafraq Development Area. The center works to train and rehabilitate Jordanian youth in the field of solar and renewable energy.
Al Gharaibeh praised the efforts exerted by the center in adopting the capabilities of the youth and them on solar energy in terms of design, implementation and maintenance of photovoltaic power to ensure the provision of entrepreneurial opportunities for Jordanian youth and contribution in making Jordan a center for exporting services.
Marigny stressed on the importance of the Jordanian-German Center for Excellence in Solar Energy, which aims to exploit the potential of Jordanian youth, providing them with the necessary skills to enter the labor market, which will contribute to reducing the unemployment rate and increase youth participation in the development process.