Jordan hosted on Wednesday the regional launch of the World Development Report 2026: “The Promise of Artificial Intelligence,” published by the World Bank Group, becoming the first country in the world to host a national-level launch event for the report.
The report examines the opportunities artificial intelligence offers developing economies to accelerate development, boost productivity, improve public services and create new economic opportunities. It promotes an approach based on adopting available technologies, adapting them to local needs and data, and gradually advancing toward the development of more sophisticated capabilities.
Jordan’s AI Opportunities
Regarding Jordan, the report highlights the Kingdom’s opportunities in exportable digital and knowledge-based services, placing Jordan alongside Egypt and Morocco among regional service-export hubs.
This creates opportunities to use AI to increase worker productivity, develop services and expand the reach of Jordanian companies into international markets.
Jordanian Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship Sami Smirat said Jordan had taken an early and forward-looking approach to artificial intelligence and had worked to build an integrated national ecosystem aimed at transforming the technology from a tool for use into a driver of productivity, growth, economic value and new opportunities.
He said the approach had received the attention and follow-up of King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, contributing to the development of a national AI ecosystem.
The process began with the adoption of Jordan’s AI policy, followed by the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and its 2023–2027 implementation plan, and was further strengthened by the establishment of the National Council for Future Technology.
Smirat noted that Jordan had also translated this approach into strategic partnerships with leading regional and international technology companies, most recently with Saudi Arabia-based HUMAIN.
He stressed that Jordan’s ambition is to become a participant in value creation in the AI era rather than merely a consumer of technology, through investment in human capital, empowering the private sector, strengthening digital infrastructure and opening broader opportunities for Jordanian companies and talent in regional and global markets.
AI and Inclusive Growth
Dalia Khalifa, Director of the World Bank’s Middle East Department, said Jordan is well positioned to benefit from AI to accelerate development, create better jobs and improve public services.
She emphasized that continued investment in skills, institutions and digital infrastructure, together with adapting AI to local needs, could help turn innovation into inclusive growth that improves the lives of Jordanians.
Thomas Jacobs, IFC Regional Director for the Levant, Iraq and Yemen, said adopting and adapting AI to local needs requires investment in infrastructure and human capital.
He highlighted the private sector’s role in leading these investments, turning them into employment opportunities and supporting innovation in line with Jordan’s Economic Modernisation Vision.
The launch included a presentation of the report’s key findings and a panel discussion titled “AI for Development: Implications for Jordan and the Region,” with the participation of government officials, experts, private- and public-sector representatives, academics and World Bank Group officials.
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