Amman, May 27 (Petra) – The Global Women in Technology and Digital Transformation Summit (GWTS 2025) kicked off in Amman on Tuesday, bringing together high-level government officials, former ministers, international experts, and professionals in technology, media, financial inclusion, and artificial intelligence. The event is organized by Afaq Media Group.
Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Smeirat underscored the summit’s significance, highlighting growing awareness of the need for women’s inclusion in digital transformation and economic development. He said the event aims to identify key challenges and explore opportunities to expand women’s participation in the rapidly evolving tech sector.
Smeirat noted that women are a vital partner in Jordan’s comprehensive development process. Successive governments have worked to provide legislative and institutional frameworks to ensure their active engagement across sectors, especially in ICT, one of the country’s fastest-growing and most impactful industries.
Women make up 39% of ICT graduates in Jordan, with 33% participating in the digital workforce. Smeirat highlighted notable female representation in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data science, with 30% of startups in the sector founded by women.
He outlined several ministry-led initiatives, including the Graduate Internship Program (GIP), which subsidizes 50% of salaries for fresh graduates working in private sector companies, and the “Qissatak” program, which offers full-year stipends and digital training for women, achieving a 56% post-training employment rate in its first phase.
The Youth, Technology and Jobs Project mandates a minimum 30% female participation rate across all programs, a target that has been surpassed thanks to targeted partnerships and initiatives.
On the entrepreneurship front, Smeirat said the ministry supported women through initiatives such as the 2024 Entrepreneurship Hackathon, which saw 50% female participation. Additionally, 30% of the 100 startups supported by the Business Growth project are owned by women.
A new training program was also launched to place 250 graduates 40% of whom are expected to be women in paid nine-month internships at startups to gain hands-on technical experience and enhance employment prospects.
Smeirat added that these efforts have improved international rankings, with Jordan climbing 17 spots in the World Bank’s 2024 “Women, Business and the Law” report. Women’s labor force participation rose to 15.5% in Q1 2024, the highest level since 2018, along with improvements in the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index.
Chairman of Afaq Media Group Khaldoun Nasir described the summit as more than an event it is a declaration of intent for inclusive digital leadership, placing women at the center of AI, media, and economic transformation.
He announced the launch of the “She Leads Tech” initiative, a regional movement to build a strong network of female leaders in AI and digital transformation.
Nasir emphasized the growing global demand for women’s leadership in tech innovation and said the summit provides an interactive platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange among stakeholders from different sectors and countries.
Former Minister of Investment Khuloud Saqqaf presented an overview of the digital business landscape and opportunities for women in emerging markets. She stressed the importance of digital transformation in reshaping labor markets and production, noting that the digital economy offers non-traditional avenues for women’s economic empowerment.
However, Saqqaf identified access to finance and a gap between education and market needs as key challenges to women’s empowerment.
Former Minister of Industry and Trade Maha Ali called for translating policies into action, citing strong political will in Jordan to economically empower women under the country’s Economic Modernization Vision.
Ali stressed that digital transformation is now a core driver of women’s empowerment and said access to technology must be broadened to increase female participation in economic development.
Hiba Sharif, CEO of Orange Money, outlined the company’s innovation strategy and said digital financial services have enabled many women-led businesses to flourish. She credited the Central Bank of Jordan for its strong support of fintech and financial inclusion, which in turn boosts women’s participation in the economy and e-commerce.
The summit’s sessions covered a wide range of topics, including women’s role in shaping the future of AI, tech entrepreneurship, work-life balance in tech, diversity in building successful teams, technology for women’s empowerment in developing communities, and how AI impacts gender bias and the digital pay gap.
//Petra// AF
27/05/2025 21:53:27
