Amman, Jan. 24 (Petra) - The Prime Ministry on Saturday held a dialogue session titled "Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Developing Arab Public Administration," as part of a series of workshops on "The Fifth Report on the State of Arab Public Administration," to be presented by the Arab Administrative Development Organization of the Arab League, in partnership with the Government of the United Arab Emirates, at the World Government Summit in Dubai next month.

Opening the session, Minister of State for Public Sector Development Badria Al Balbisi said Jordan’s participation in the report this year coincides with a highly significant national context, namely the launch of the second executive program for public sector modernization (2026–2029).

She added that this event marks a transition from the establishment phase to the implementation and impact phase, aiming to transform the way government operates to become more integrated, productive, flexible, and future-ready by enhancing governance and coordination, reducing duplication and waste, and adopting modern operating models supported by technology and emerging technologies.

She explained that the most prominent feature of the program is the addition of a new component dedicated to data and emerging technologies, considering data a strategic asset upon which planning, policymaking, performance measurement, and risk and opportunity forecasting are built. This reflects a move toward establishing a national system based on unified governance for data management throughout its life cycle, ensuring the availability of reliable and timely data to support evidence-based decision-making.

Regarding emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, Al Balbisi said the second public sector modernization program enables a gradual transition toward a comprehensive national framework for employing these technologies in public administration, based on the government life cycle and the "One Government" methodology. The framework includes integrated systems covering the government value chain, including policy and legislation systems, government resource management, workflow and service management, and linking indicators with results.

She stressed that the success of this transformation depends on establishing clear legislative and ethical frameworks for responsible technology use that protect privacy, ensure transparency, enhance institutional integration and interoperability, and raise cybersecurity standards, alongside investing in human capital as a fundamental requirement through employee qualification, building data and AI skills, and preparing leaders capable of leading change with confidence and efficiency.

For his part, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Smeirat said the ministry has begun implementing the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for 2023–2027 through partnerships with international companies and by benefiting from specialized global expertise, by executing 68 projects in key sectors including education, health, agriculture, energy, water, cybersecurity, and smart cities.

Smeirat noted that the government launched an integrated national project to raise awareness and build capacities in artificial intelligence. Completion of the third phase of the project contributed to training 3,000 government employees, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to about 9,000 by the end of 2025, within a national plan targeting awareness-raising and capacity-building for 15,000 government employees by the end of 2027.

He said these efforts have been clearly reflected in several recent international indicators. A report on AI adoption among the working-age population, issued by Microsoft’s Institute for AI Economics, showed that Jordan ranked third in the Arab world and 29th globally among 147 economies covered, recording a usage rate of 27 percent among the working-age population, exceeding the global average of 16.3 percent.

Smeirat also said Jordan made notable progress in the 2024 Government AI Readiness Index issued by Oxford Insights, rising to 49th globally among 188 countries and ranking fifth in the Arab world.

He reviewed a number of achievements and practical projects undertaken by the ministry in artificial intelligence applications, including expanding the Siraj educational platform to reach more than 200,000 users by the end of 2025, completing a project to cleanse government data using AI, and developing a model to predict soil fertility and determine optimal irrigation timing using AI and satellite imagery.

Meanwhile, President of the Service and Public Administration Commission (SPAC) Fayez Nahar said that incorporating data and emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, into the second executive program for public sector modernization represents a qualitative shift in government work, as it is a key tool for improving performance efficiency and developing public policies and services.

He said SPAC is working to employ these technologies within the human resources system through the smart recruitment platform, virtual assistant, and intelligent monitoring tools. They are also being used to develop question banks and assessment tools to accurately measure job competencies and link them to career paths and development programs. He noted that the coming phase will witness the creation of new jobs anticipating the future of government work in the fields of artificial intelligence, data analysis, and smart human resources policies.

Secretary-General of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Samira Zoubi presented a recorded speech produced using artificial intelligence technologies on the use of AI in government.

Following the opening, Editor-in-Chief of the "State of Arab Governments Report 2026" and member of the Board of Trustees of Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) Yasar Jarrar moderated a dialogue with ministers, secretaries-general, directors-general, and participants. The discussion focused on the use of artificial intelligence in government, key challenges and risks hindering its adoption, and the skills required to develop its use among public sector employees through training and capacity-building.

The session also featured presentations on government experiences in using artificial intelligence technologies and their impact on public sector modernization and improving the quality of services provided to citizens.

Earlier, Jarrar held a training session for a number of IT and AI department directors in ministries and government institutions on artificial intelligence and redesigning the future of governments.

//Petra// AF

24/01/2026 19:54:53