As part of “Innovation Space”, a three-year project co-funded by the EU’s “Innovation for Enterprise Growth and Jobs” program
The European Union (EU) and Orange Jordan inaugurated the Orange Digital Village in Irbid, as part of “Innovation Space”, a three-year project co-funded by the EU’s “Innovation for Enterprise Growth and Jobs” program.
The event was attended by Head of Economic, Infrastructure and Trade Facilitation at the EU delegation to Jordan, Mrs. Sirpa Tulla, Mayor of Greater Irbid Municipality, Dr. Nabil AlKofahi, deputizing for Governor of Irbid, Assistant to the Governor, Rami AlBader, President of Yarmouk University, Professor Dr. Islam Massad, and Dean of Hijjawi College for Engineering Technology at Yarmouk University, Professor Dr. Muwaffaq Otoom, Head of Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) in Jordan, Mr. Laurent Duriez, as well as the CEO of Orange Jordan, Mr. Thierry Marigny, in addition to several executive directors and managers, and media representatives.
The Orange Digital Village in Irbid marks the continued growth of the “Innovation Space” project, following the opening of the Orange Digital Village in Aqaba. Both are an extension of the main Orange Digital Village in the capital, and each village offers an integrated space for several free Orange Digital programs.
Orange Digital Village in Irbid comprises a coding academy that provides training in programming languages and personal skills required in the labor market, in addition to internships in the IT-sector, which embodies the project’s goal of “training for employment”. The village also includes a Fabrication Lab (FabLab) that offers training on the latest machines, tools, and programs in the field of digital fabrication, as well as BIG by Orange, a Business Startup Growth Platform that supports entrepreneurs with their start-ups.
During the event, the CEO of Orange Jordan, Thierry Marigny, stressed the company’s keenness to extend the reach of free digital programs across the Kingdom, as they will enhance youth’s employability, equip them with the needed skills and support start-ups in governorates with large and young populations like Irbid, valuing that the partnership between EU and Orange Jordan to continue implementing the “Innovation Space” project and expand the circle of beneficiaries of digital education and contribute to empowering them.
Marigny added that the company is harnessing its resources to increase employment opportunities in line with labor market requirements in various sectors, especially in terms of digital skills, becoming increasingly important, as well as enabling beneficiaries to launch feasible projects driving digital economy and social progress, within the framework of Orange Jordan’s comprehensive corporate social responsibility strategy which stems from its role as a responsible digital leader.
Moreover, Marigny thanked the Mayor of Greater Irbid Municipality, Dr. Nabil AlKofahi, for sharing the vision of Orange Jordan and the EU’s vision of empowerment and facilitating the implementation of Orange Digital Village in Irbid to benefit Irbid and nearby communities and enhance youth skills in the most in-demand fields, noting that the company continues to execute several projects and partnerships across Irbid and its universities.
For his part, Dr. Nabil AlKofahi asserted that the Municipality is utilizing all its resources and efforts to support youth, enable them and unleash their potential, as the Greater Irbid Municipality launched a unit dedicated to enabling youth a few days ago, set to support them and their ideas, adding that a fund has been established for the purposes of this unit to adopt any idea and develop it to have a great impact.
Dr. Nabil AlKofahi thanked Orange Jordan and the EU for this unique step that is considered in the right direction to establish and support a generation able to bring out all their talents.
The EU-funded “Innovation Space” project supports the expansion of Orange’s digital programs to include 9 Community Digital Centers, in addition to 5 new coding academies, 5 FabLabs, 8 start-up accelerators and incubators, in addition to an “Innovation Hub” 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.
