1.1 Jordan knowledge Stations :
Knowledge Stations are IT centres which have an effective tool to bridge the digital gaps between the governorates of the Kingdom, to help citizens gain skills, increase their competitive abilities in the job market, and improve their work efficiency.
Launched in 2001, the initiative adopted the concept of involving local communities in the establishment and management of the stations and having them operated by local institutions to promote a sense of responsibility and participation in making positive change at the community level. The National Information Technology Centre was authorized to implement the project, and prepared a study to determine the optimal distribution of Knowledge Stations in all the governorates and communities in the Kingdom. Today, there are about a 192 Knowledge Stations across the country. Tens of thousands of Jordanians of all ages and life styles have been trained in these facilities , learning everything from how to use a mouse to advanced strategies for using ICT to enhance their businesses, obtain health-care information or participate in e-government. The stations’ walk-in services also provide affordable Internet access and services like copying, scanning and faxing for many Jordanians .
Because of its special nature, branches around Jordan and the large number of trainers and trainees, knowledge stations need to know how to manage knowledge and share it effectively. Significant changes in Knowledge Stations workplace have already taken place, but greater changes in the future are anticipated(HTTP 3) .
1.2.2 The Information Technology Authority ITA ( e-Oman)
The Information Technology Authority (ITA) was formed in Oman as a legal autonomous body affiliated to the Minister of National Economy through a Royal Decree on May 31, 2006. As defined in the Royal Decree, the Information Technology Authority, through consolidation and activation of government policies, seeks to transform the Sultanate into a knowledge–based economy.
Through transforming Oman into a knowledge-based economy, the ITA’s aim is in attaining social and economical benefits for Omani society by using this technology “within” the policies of economic diversification and sustained development .
The ITA is responsible for implementing national IT infrastructure projects and supervising all projects related to implementation of the Digital Oman Strategy while providing professional leadership to various other e-Governance initiatives of the Sultanate.
In addition, the ITA undertakes several projects to increase technology penetration and empower its people with required digital literacy and higher levels of competence through training and innovation centers
1.2.3 Egypt Information and Communication Technology Trust Fund
Egypt Information and Communication Technology Trust Fund (ICT-TF) was jointly established by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in January 2002. The ICT-TF is a mechanism that aims to investigate the different means by which ICTs can enrich the livelihood of Egyptian citizens, as well as to foster socio-economic development by creating public-private partnerships to support the use of ICTs.
The Fund currently sponsors several projects, in six main sectors; Community Development, Agriculture, Education, Health, ICT 4 Disabilities, and ICT for Micro, Small, and Medium enterprises (M/SMEs); Aiming to expanding development in Egypt through increasing awareness of ICT and its benefits as well as making it more accessible and affordable to all citizens ( HTTP 5 ).
1.2.4 The Syrian Telecentre Project
The Syrian Telecentre Project is one of the development projects aimed at providing Information and Communication Technology for local and rural communities. The project has established Telecentres all over the country, especially in the most remote areas in order to give all Syrian people an equal opportunity to decrease the digital gap through spreading ICT culture, contributing to rural development, and enrolling at information society.
The Ministry of Communications and Technology has launched this project strategy and initiative to contribute to bridging the digital gap between the city and the countryside, in cooperation with the United Nation Development Program (UNDP), as part of its Strategic Program “ICT4Dev SYR/02/001” Program for Social and Economic Development to use information technology in the economic and social development starting in 2004 under title “Reefnet project”. This project has so far established about 40 Telecentres across the Syrian provinces in rural areas, with the first telecentre inaugurated in April 2004.
Seham Ahmad 