The dotcom shake-out could not have come at a better time for Jordanian IT businesses

Karim Qawar Int@J chairman

He introduced an e-government system and provided thousands of computers to schools and educational centres, including those in remote rural areas.

The king, according to a royal court source, wants all Jordanians to have access to a computer.

Despite his nation's pressing financial problems, Jordan's new leader seems determined to fund his nation's participation in the global IT industry. He plans to erect a Silicon Valley-like industrial zone in the hope of attracting about $150m in direct foreign investment over the next three years.

Computer education

Computer sciences and English language programmes have been revamped over the last two years to serve pupils in lower grades.

King Abdullah hopes the US and the EU, and especially Britain, will help fund a 10-year educational reform strategy.

His $650m plan involves making major amendments to school curricula, upgrading teachers' qualifications and setting up dozens of new, fully equipped schools and learning resource centres.

There are plans to establish an IT faculty at Al al-Bayt University.

The ultimate aim is to make the IT industry Jordan's vehicle for economic growth.

The king wants Jordan to become a major player in the IT industry

But the dark clouds hanging over the IT sector worldwide, regional uncertainty and the 11 September terror attacks on America have had a negative impact on those plans.

Int@J, the country's IT association representing 84 firms, has sought to lure potential investors into the fledgling and low-cost market following the mid-2000 Nasdaq crash.

Int@J Chairman, Karim Qawar, dismisses the internet market meltdown as a "minor setback".

"The dotcom shake-out could not have come at a better time for Jordanian IT businesses," he said in a recent interview.

"It has helped separate hype from substance. It was a minor setback that prompted some companies to address other markets [than the US]."

Local IT companies have raised just under $60m since September 1999. Their declared goal is to attract $150m in direct foreign investment by 2004.

Regional hopes

The concept of a regional dotcom market, to start off with a hard core of IT-oriented countries and to expand later, has been the subject of several discussions between King Abdullah and the like-minded leaders of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

But to create a climate conducive to the spread of IT, they must first tackle the problem of software piracy.

A crackdown by the authorities has seen levels drop - from 90% in late 1999 to nearly 50%.

A focus on internet content is also necessary if Jordan is to meet its target of raising the number of subscribers to 500,000 - or one in 10 Jordanians - over the next two years.

The current number stands at 25,000 - a 20th of that target.

But as King Abdullah strives to make ends meet in an unstable region, he appears determined to find the resources needed to turn his hi-tech dreams into reality.

You can join King Abdullah for a special web, radio and television edition of Talking Point on Friday 9 November. Send us your questions for him now and include your phone number if you want to put them directly to him.