Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (INTAJ)
Definition
Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (INTAJ)
The Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (INTAJ) is Jordan’s industry body for tech and outsourcing firms. Set up in Amman in 2000 and known as int@j, it lobbies ministers, opens export markets and trains the talent Jordan sells abroad.
int@j is not a regulator and it does not sell services. Software houses, telecom operators, contact centres and startups pay annual dues, elect a board, and get one voice in front of cabinet ministers.
The association works next to government rather than inside it. INTAJ feeds industry positions to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, which owns Jordan’s REACH digital strategy, and sits on the committees that turn them into rules.
Scale explains the pitch. INTAJ puts its network at more than 30,000 information and communications technology (ICT) professionals, a pool that Amman’s business process outsourcing (BPO) exporters draw on when they bid for Gulf work.
Key takeaways
- int@j was founded in Amman in 2000 and is Jordan’s non-profit body for technology and outsourcing firms.
- Six pillars steer the work: policy, digital economy, human capital, market access, information and startups.
- INTAJ puts its member network at more than 30,000 ICT professionals.
- The association convenes the MENA ICT Forum, a biennial regional summit staged in Jordan under royal patronage.
- Members run from telecom operators to Amman contact centres serving Gulf, European and US clients.
How it works
INTAJ runs a member-funded advocacy model. Companies pay annual dues and elect a board, which turns industry complaints into policy briefs, training programmes and trade missions, all organised under six standing pillars.
Those pillars date from the association’s 2000 founding charter and were refreshed in a 2020 update. They map onto Jordan Vision 2025 and the REACH 2025 digital strategy, which keeps INTAJ’s asks legible to the ministries that fund them.
| Pillar | Focus area | Typical activities | What a member gets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business-enabling environment | Policy and regulation | Lobbying, white papers, ministry liaison | A seat at cabinet-level consultations |
| Digital economy | Sector growth | Strategy input, investor briefings | Visibility with inbound investors |
| Human capital | Talent and skills | University partnerships, training programmes | Co-funded training places for staff |
| Access to market | Exports and trade | Trade missions, B2B matchmaking | Curated buyer meetings abroad |
| Access to information | Market intelligence | Sector reports, analytics | Data for pricing and bid work |
| Startups | Entrepreneurship | Mentorship, accelerator links, SME support | Introductions to funds and mentors |
Day-to-day work sits with a small Amman secretariat, backed by working committees drawn from member chief executives. Each committee owns a pillar and reports to a general assembly that meets once a year to approve the budget and sign off strategy.
Funding blends three streams — annual member dues, event revenue from the MENA ICT Forum, and grants from donor bodies including USAID and multilateral banks.
That mix matters. It keeps the association off any single government line item, so it can lobby the same ministries it works beside without putting its own budget at risk.
Members buy access more than services. Dues bring regulatory representation with cabinet-level officials, discounted exhibition space at the forum, co-funded training places, and referrals into INTAJ-curated buyer meetings during trade missions.
Examples
INTAJ’s work shows up in three places: the MENA ICT Forum it convenes, the regulatory files its telecom members shape, and the trade missions that put Amman outsourcing firms in front of buyers in Riyadh, Dubai and Cairo.
The MENA ICT Forum is the association’s signature — a biennial summit staged in Jordan under the patronage of King Abdullah II. It began in 2002 as the Jordan ICT Forum.
The event later widened into a Middle East and North Africa gathering of ministers, investors and buyer delegations, with a 2024 edition on the record. That regional reach is what separates int@j from a purely national trade body.
Zain Jordan and Umniah — two of the kingdom’s mobile operators — use INTAJ policy channels to push on spectrum and data-protection rules.
Smaller software houses get the same channel without keeping a government-affairs team of their own. For a twenty-seat Amman firm, that shared voice is the main reason to pay dues each year.
Trade missions do the export work. INTAJ puts member firms in front of buyers in Riyadh, Dubai and Cairo, which is how Jordanian nearshore outsourcing sellers reach Gulf accounts that would otherwise go to India.
Longer-haul offshoring deals follow the same route into Europe and North America, usually on the back of a forum introduction rather than a cold pitch.
On talent, INTAJ works with Jordanian universities and coding academies to feed graduates into member employers. It is the same pipeline play that knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) and information technology outsourcing (ITO) providers run across the wider region.
Outside recognition helps the pitch. The International Telecommunication Union and the World Bank both track Jordan’s digital economy in their country work, and INTAJ speaks for the private sector in that conversation.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is the other prize. Ministerial meetings and forum booths are aimed at capital that builds delivery centres in Amman, not at buyers who simply purchase Jordanian services from a distance.
Related terms
The terms below sit around INTAJ rather than inside it. They cover the service lines Jordanian members sell, the delivery models buyers choose between, and the investment flows the association courts. None of them is a Jordan-specific term.
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO): third-party delivery of back-office and front-office business processes.
- Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO): third-party delivery of IT infrastructure, software and support services.
- Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO): third-party delivery of higher-value analytical and research work.
- Nearshore Outsourcing: sourcing services from a nearby country to shorten time-zone and cultural gaps.
- Offshoring: moving work to a distant country, usually for cost and scale reasons.
- Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): cross-border capital placed into productive assets or operating firms.
- Contact Center: a hub that handles inbound and outbound customer interactions.
FAQ
What does INTAJ stand for?
INTAJ stands for the Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan, and the brand is stylised int@j. It is the kingdom’s non-profit trade body for ICT and information technology enabled services (ITES), founded in Amman in 2000.
When was INTAJ founded and where is it based?
INTAJ was founded in 2000 and is based in Amman, Jordan. It coordinates directly with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship on national digital strategy, including the REACH programme.
Who can join INTAJ?
Membership is open to Jordan-registered ICT and ITES companies, including software firms, telecom operators, BPO providers and tech startups. Associate categories exist for freelancers and academics, which keeps consultants and university staff inside the network.
What is the MENA ICT Forum?
The MENA ICT Forum is INTAJ’s flagship biennial event, staged in Jordan under the patronage of King Abdullah II. It began in 2002 as the Jordan ICT Forum and now draws ministers, investors and buyers from across the Middle East and North Africa.
How does INTAJ support outsourcing exports?
It runs trade missions, roadshows and B2B matchmaking that link Jordanian firms with Gulf, European and US buyers, and it publishes sector material that helps investors size the market.
Ready to tap the ICT talent int@j has spent two decades building? Browse vetted outsourcing partners on Outsource Accelerator.
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