Jordan targets 1M active national digital IDs by end of year

In Jordan, the Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Ahmad Hanandeh has set the goal of activating 1 million digital IDs by the end of the year, according to The Jordan Times.

“The true definition of digital transformation can only be achieved by having a digital transition in the public sector… which is aimed towards accelerating internal state procedures, raising the efficiency and productivity of the public services, and automating government operations,” Hanandeh told the outlet.

The goal of issuing a million digital IDs reflects Jordan’s ongoing shift towards digitizing access to all government services. Earlier in the year, the government released a unified national register of services to act as a one-stop platform for all government departments and institutions. It also launched eight smartphone apps and improved digital systems within several institutions.

As of the end of August, 500,000 citizens were using their digital IDs to access government services, and the nation hopes to have 3.5 million citizens using digital IDs to access public services by 2025.

Two government service centers have been opened at Al Muqabalein (or “Al Muqabalayn”) and Queen Alia International Airport, while a third branch is currently being piloted at Irbid. Additional centers will soon open in Aqaba, Ma’an, Jerash and Tafileh.

According to the minister, 960 government services have been automated and the nation’s digital transformation plan has reached the 40 percent mark. Digital transformation is generally carried out to optimize systems, modernize the citizen experience and stimulate economic growth.

The ministry has also focused on developing a digital infrastructure that can support the digital shift through the establishment of data centers and the introduction of a private cloud platform for government institutions. It is also in the process of launching a disaster recovery center. The centers play an essential role in continually operating these systems while being a central location for foundational networking hardware.

In July, the ministry made plans to integrate iris biometrics from IrisGuard into its Sanad digital ID verification application.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  IrisGuard  |  Jordan  |  Sanad