Hewlett-Packard (HP) has announced the opening of its fully-owned subsidiary in Jordan that will offer sales, services and support capabilities to better serve the local market.

In addition, HP also signed a MoU with the Government of Jordan regarding the creation of a regional Competency Centre in Jordan that will service the wider Middle East, Mediterranean & Africa (MEMA) region.

The competency centre will provide technology services to Jordan, Middle East and the surrounding countries as a first step.

This centre might eventually evolve into one of HP’s global Services Delivery centres among others in the world and provide an opportunity for Jordan’s University graduates to join the world’s leading technology company.

“HP’s investment in Jordan is part of our long term strategy to identify and invest in the best growth opportunities across the world, and to deliver balanced and sustainable growth for HP worldwide,” said Francesco Serafini, managing director of HP Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA).

“We are excited with the ICT initiatives the Government of Jordan is driving, such as the establishment of the King Hussein Bin Talal Business Park, that provide market-leading services to businesses.”

“We are delighted to establish a permanent HP presence in Jordan,” said John Hoonhout, managing director, HP Middle East.

“Working with our partners, HP has enjoyed good business in Jordan over the years. With a permanent presence in Jordan, we will be able to get even closer to our customers and partners to drive further business success.”

HP’s investment and growth strategy in the Mema region also includes a deep social investment programme that plays an important role in HP’s broader Global Citizenship strategy.

As part of this strategy, HP continually explores opportunities in the Middle East to roll out education programs for university students and young, unemployed graduates. 

On this occasion, Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Marwan Juma said that HP’s decision to inaugurate its regional office in Jordan was the result of  King Abdullah II’s vision for the sector, paving the way for Jordan to become a regional hub in communications and information technology.

He indicated that Jordan has the resources and skilled workforce to qualify as a regional center for international ICT companies; apart from the technology industry provided by Jordanian companies and exported to other countries.

He stated that Jordan’s security and stability are important to encourage companies to invest in Jordan in addition to clear laws, regulations, suitable investment environment and the government decisions that stimulate the information technology industry, such as the tax exemption on information technology exports until the end of 2015.

He also emphasized on the importance of this sector and its direct and indirect contribution to the GDP stating that the Ministry will aim this year to support the idea of transforming Jordan to become a hub for the information and communication technology in the region and the world.

Juma said that the sector poses 14 per cent of the GDP, adding that the upcoming phase will witness the launch of several e-Government services where citizens would feel the benefits of technology.

“We are pleased to be collaborating with major Jordanian universities such as the Jordan University of Science and Technology to address innovations in education to prepare students to succeed in a global marketplace. As one of the world’s leading IT companies, we have a responsibility to equip young people with the skills they need to be competitive,” said Santiago Cortes, vice president and managing director, HP MEMA.

In collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in 2009 HP opened 10 new GET-IT training centers to provide IT and entrepreneurship training to young unemployed graduates.

Together with Unesco, HP plans to connect major universities in the Middle East to the Brain Gain Initiative – a network of 20 universities benefiting from grid and cloud computing technologies and the expertise of researchers from around the world.

As part of the WEF Global Education Initiative, HP also invested into the development of digital communities in Jordan.-TradeArabia News Service