The State of knowledge-based economy in Jordan

I have been urging the Jordanian government for more than a year to take a decisive decision, which is to transfer to the knowledge economy, bearing in mind the Finnish model, which I see as the best example our country should follow.

I think that copying the American or British economy because they are great industrial countries is nothing but a waste of time. This is because Jordan is a small country, with a population of no more than 9 million people. We have to realize that we are not China nor Britain.
For the sake of comparison, I would like to say that Finland has a population of six million people and does not have natural resources, exactly like Jordan. The gross national income in Finland exceeds 230 billion dollars, while that of Jordan does not exceed 40 billion dollars. In my opinion, there is no reason for Jordan not to achieve a gross national income equal to Finland, as long as the conditions and capabilities of the two countries are the same. This, however, requires political will and long-term planning towards the knowledge economy, the same like Finland has done, instead of adopting temporary solutions.
Finland has succeeded in creating tools for the knowledge economy, thus, it occupies a leading, global position in education transformation in this trend. If we follow the Finnish model, we will not need the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, we will not have budget deficit, we will not need loans, and we will not have to worry about unemployment and protests. Following this model is a shortcut to success and overcoming all the problems. That is why I have created the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum, with the main aim of enabling Jordan to achieve a gross national income of 280 billion dollars by 2040.
We are not dreaming in this forum, we are serious about planning for the future to achieve this objective.
One of the reasons for the economic problems we are suffering from, however, is the closure of our borders with Syria and Iraq. As a result, Jordan has turned into something of an economic prison and; thus, there is no way for the economy to recover without opening the borders. If this is impossible, we have to adopt digital alternatives that have no boundaries, but unfortunately we have not yet succeeded in harnessing the power of the digital economy.
One of the major international missions entrusted to me in 2001 was the co-chairmanship of the UNICT working group, whose task was to build strategies aimed at achieving the transformation to digital economy. After that, I chaired the UN Global Compact for the direction of ICT related initiatives.
Unfortunately, much of this transformation has not been implemented in Jordan because our governments have been preoccupied with solving problems, rather than building appropriate strategies for the future. People talk about problems, not about the transformation of the economy.
It is worth mentioning that IT is only a tool, with the digital economy being a practical manifestation that impacts of our lives. Technical proficiency is a requirement in today’s workplace and is in fact something that is in demand globally.

The Intellectual Property Department in our organization has become a world leader in the protection of intellectual property because we have been able to recognize the power of IT. If Jordan wants to assume a leading position, we must do the same at the national level.
What I want the world to know is that we must realize the importance of change required to make Jordan a better country. I strongly believe in our ability to make this change. However, how will Jordan adapt to the broader global framework? I recently published an alert that we are on the verge of a global economic crisis in. There is also an anticipated world war on the horizon. You do not have to be a Harvard University graduate to realize that the US is focusing, with concern, on the possibility of China becoming the major power in the world.

Some predicted that since 1985. I participated back then in a seminar at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, during which I discussed the position of the United States in 2020. The seminar drew the following three conclusions. First, that China will be the major economic power competing the US. Second, if China becomes the economic superpower, it will be a great political power. Third, that America must stop this possibility at all costs. In my opinion, the goal of the artificial American war is not to occupy, invade, or destruct China, but rather to force it to sit at the negotiation table in a bilateral meeting to agree on a new world order.
In fact, we need a new world order and a new leadership. I expect that this war will eventually result in a new (Marshall Plan) for a global renaissance. Such a plan will put our region at the center of the world’s attention, due to the urgent need to rebuild it because it is in a state of great destruction and has the financial resources that meet the needs of the countries concerned.

As for the delay in the reconstruction of Syria, it is due to the lack of agreement on the distribution of the benefits of reconstruction. China has enormous potential and what we have seen so far is only the tip of the iceberg. I expect that we will witness the return of Britain as an economic power equal to Russia and China.
It is important to remember here that two or three years is not a great deal in the lifespan of a country. If America and China settle the issues between them, we will witness the emergence of great opportunities for human benefit. The other worrying issue for our world is climate change. Back in 1999, the UN Secretary-General assigned me to formulate and impose accounting standards on all countries. I was then the head of the ISAR, which included a group of experts.
After completing the report, we were asked us to keep it on the shelf because the US did not agree to apply the recommended accounting standards because of the financial burdens that this might cause and the claims for damages the companies concerned will incur. The situation, however, has become so dangerous that there are rumors in Congress the world will face a real danger within 12 years.

The main content of the report has not changed, but what I am proposing now is to solve the problem by resorting to AI. There are 8,000 technical scientists in America and 6,000 in Russia and the solution is to form a teamwork from both sides. They will be able, for example, to convert pollutants into non-polluting products through technical solutions within one year, which is why I am working on setting up a consulting company to focus on developing such technological solutions.