Amman, Sept 5 (Petra) — Tangible progress has been made in
implementing the executive plan for reforming and developing public
administration as the government commits to improving the quality of
services and enhancing institutional performance, the mid-year report
on the Public Sector Modernization Program, published by the
government in mid-August, concluded.

Officials and commentators highlighted key achievements in the areas
of administrative modernization, digital transformation, developing
legislation governing public service and administration, and future
aspirations.

The first half of the year was characterized by a focus on building
shared government enablers, alongside achieving direct and tangible
results in services, digital transformation, and human resource
development, Minister of State for Public Sector Development Badriya
Al-Balbisi said.

The work was based on comprehensive measurement to ensure good
governance as the first phase of the National Public Sector
Modernization Index was launched to quantify achievements with
precision and identify areas for improvement and those requiring
further effort, she said.

Al-Balbisi pointed to direct investment in government employees and
leaders through launching the Jordanian Academy of Public
Administration and completing the government competency framework to
link recruitment, evaluation, and development processes with
technical skills required for government work.

She added that the government began building its future readiness
through enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities, implementing
digital transformation standards (Irtaqa), assessing data maturity,
developing AI agents, and completing the digital legislative roadmap
as the foundation for a smart legislation and compliance system.

The minister noted integrating a 360-degree Citizen Voice model that
allows public organizations to capture, analyze, and act on community
feedback in real time, adding that these achievements form the
foundation to build on in the coming years to turn public sector
modernization into tangible results that citizens feel.

AI has become an integral part of how governments function, and it
will constitute a radical change in service delivery mechanisms and
decision-making, she said, stressing early preparation for such
developments.

Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Smirat noted
that the government has digitized 86 percent of its services by the
first half of the year, an achievement that positively impacted
citizen satisfaction levels, which reached about 85 percent.

A key achievement was the launch of the updated version of the
“Sanad” application, he pointed out. He said that while it took about
five years to activate two million digital IDs, the latest update to
the application led to the activation of one million new digital IDs
in record time, bringing to three million the total number of
activated digital IDs.

For his part, Service and Public Administration Commission hairman
Fayez Al-Nahar said his institution developed competency frameworks
for 21 job groups, about 75% of all public sector jobs. He also said
the commission devised new assessment tools, including leadership
skills, intelligence, cognitive, and communication skills tests, to
ensure accurate measurement.

The commission reviewed and developed more than 25 organizational
structures across various ministries, institutions, and government
departments, in addition to providing technical support to more than
40 government departments to improve their services and facilitate
access for customers, he said.

Abdullah Al-Qudah, a public policy and administration expert,
commented that the establishment of the Jordanian Academy of Public
Administration is one of the landmark achievements in the Kingdom’s
public administration history.

He noted its focus on leadership programs, notably the “Leaders
Making an Impact” program for directors general, as well as executive
leadership programs.

//Petra//SS