The European Union (EU) and Orange Jordan inaugurated the “Innovation Hub” in Orange Digital Village, as part of the “Innovation Space”, a three-year project co-funded by the European Union’s Innovation for Enterprise Growth and Jobs program “Innovate Jordan” that aims to promote digital empowerment and innovation culture on a wider scale.

The EU Ambassador to Jordan, H.E. Maria Hadjitheodosiou, Minister of Youth, Mohammad Salameh Al Nabulsi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jordan Telecom company/Orange Jordan, Dr. Shabib Ammari, CEO of Orange Jordan, Thierry Marigny, media representatives and public figures attended the inauguration of the Innovation Hub, a completely new concept comprising 5 Labs for Artificial Intelligence, AR, VR, Blockchain, IOT and 5G, to support youth, entrepreneurs and all those interested in exploring opportunities that drive growth and developing their innovative projects.

The Hub, the first of a kind in the Kingdom, represents a great addition to Orange Jordan’s free digital programs across the Kingdom and social initiatives at large.

During the inauguration event that featured innovation as a driving force, the European Union Ambassador to Jordan, H.E Maria Hadjitheodosiou stressed: “The Innovation Hub will provide young women and men with the knowledge and tools to help them seek professional careers in the digital sector. This hub will become a playground for curious and ambitious bright minds. It will provide access to Virtual and Augmented Reality technology, a 5G laboratory, blockchain technology, the Internet of Things, and many others. It is a glimpse into the future.”

CEO of Orange Jordan, Thierry Marigny, said: “We are glad to launch the Innovation Hub that reflects Orange's role as a responsible digital leader in enhancing digital education through making resources, technologies, devices, and skills required in the global job market available, and supporting entrepreneurship, which is inherently innovative, as well as promoting digital inclusion”.

“More than 90% of jobs have digital requirements today, and most jobs will require more advanced skills very soon, however numbers show that more than half of the youth will lack the digital skills needed in the future’s labor force. Amid the drastic changes in the jobs of 1.2 billion people due to incorporating technologies such as automation and artificial intelligence, according to the World Economy Forum, we continue our digital education efforts by upskilling youth in Jordan to tackle this challenge,” Marigny noted.

The EU-funded “Innovation Space” project supports the expansion of Orange Jordan’s digital programs to include 9 Community Digital Centers, 5 new coding academies, 5 FabLabs, 8 start-up accelerators and incubators, in addition to the “Innovation Hub”, which was recently inaugurated at the Orange Digital Village in Amman.

The program is a pioneering initiative in Jordan and a one-stop shop for digital innovation and entrepreneurial support. It introduces digital culture, fosters digital skills – especially among women and youth – and promotes and nurtures entrepreneurship by identifying key opportunities for digital economic growth.