Amazon’s presence in Jordan ‘very positive’ — stakeholder

AMMAN — After buying the online shopping app Souq.com in 2017, Amazon has finally mounted its sign on the e-commerce's office building in central Amman, which is a "proud moment for us in MENA and specifically in Jordan", Saleem Hammad, the shopping app’s general manager posted on his Facebook account early on Monday.

Amazon took over the app’s back-end and software development support offices two years ago, Nidal Bitar, CEO of the Jordanian Information and Communications Technology Association (Int@j), told The Jordan Times on Monday.

One of the creators and founders of Souq.com, Saleh Haddad, added that the app was sold to Amazon for $580 million.

As part of the takeover, Amazon, one of the world’s biggest companies, now runs its operations in Jordan as a global investor, "which is very positive and shows how Jordan has unique human resources", Bitar said, noting that “since the takeover, the number of Jordanian employees has increased up to 750.”

He added that Amazon's presence in Jordan, namely its advanced technological expertise and the job opportunities it brings, are direct impacts of the move, and noted that Int@j welcomes this transition.

Bitar continued that another impact of the move is the increased possibility of attracting other global investors who will see the comfort of investing in Jordan’s human resources. 

The CEO urged young Jordanians, especially university students, to work hard to hone their skills in order to keep up with the market's demands and allow themselves the chance to secure employment at such companies.