King says Jordan continues to be centre of ideas, development

AMMAN — With its young and educated population, Jordan is poised to capitalise on the digital age in the coming decade, according to His Majesty King Abdullah.

In an interview with CNBC News Middle East correspondent Hadley Gamble broadcast in full on Friday, the King, answering a question on where he sees the country in 10 years, said Jordan will be "always pushing the envelope when it comes to new technology".

"I think Jordan continues to be the centre of ideas and development, whether it is into film-making and other technologies that are coming out. I know others try to replicate what we do, but it is always a nice surprise to see that the Jordanians have always had that edge. 

"We do apps, app competitions for high school students. I think we are the only country in the Middle East that does that. I think that’s indicative of how we continue to invest into the younger generation, so that they are two steps ahead of everyone else," His Majesty added.

The region's major challenge, he said, is job creation and "giving young people a future and hope".

"As we are combating the instability of the region, the challenge of global terror, we have to have strong partners in the world because these young men and women need to have faith in the future," the King noted, adding that "for us in Jordan, this is so important that we make sure that safety net is already there and we do give them that future they need." 

ICT and renewables 

His Majesty said Jordan seeks to boost its ICT and renewable energy sectors, expecting investments in these fields "to push Jordan" forward and "take people by surprise".

"Jordan is launching itself for the next 10 years: Where do we position ourselves to take advantage to what we can deliver to our people and the region?" he said, commenting on the Kingdom's economic plans.

"Because of the lack of gas that we get from Egypt, we have had to move quickly... And that’s why you are seeing a major investment into alternative energy," His Majesty noted. 

"We are going... with the Chinese on a very big deal on wind and solar, about 1,000 megawatts. That’s going to be the niche that Jordan is going to move in. You are going to see a huge jump in renewables for Jordan in the very near future," he added, noting that Jordan is the first country in the region to have plans to switch to electric-powered vehicles for its government and military institutions.

In another initiative, he said, the Kingdom's schools will be switching to renewable energy over the next two years.

"So I think this shows the trend of how we are thinking, how we are adapting."