Jordan—May 26, 2013— The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Information and Communications Technology Association (Int@j) are joining forces with the telecom company, Umniah, to expand the firm’s strategic partnership with the highly regarded startup accelerator Plug & Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley, United States. The purpose of this partnership is to seek out the most talented technology startups and emerging companies from Jordan and provide them access to the resources necessary to accelerate and grow their companies.

The USAID Acting Mission Director, Doug Ball, highlighted this project as “a concrete example of U.S. President Obama’s initiative to expand entrepreneurialism in the MENA region.”

Umniah’s CEO, Ihab Hinnawi, said, “The newly signed agreement seeks to add expertise in the telecommunications sector, and give weight to startup companies based across Jordan. We are hoping that this initiative will further help local companies compete on a global level and provide them the opportunity to obtain precious knowledge from one the most advanced technological societies.” He also noted that Umniah, being the sole Jordanian partner with Plug and Play, intends to bring Jordan ICT companies closer with Silicon Valley. He pledged his firm’s unwavering support to the winning companies

Mohannad El- Khairy, the International Operations Manager at Plug and Play, said: “We are very excited about our new partnership with Int@j and USAID which will help strengthen our footing in Jordan. It's no secret that Jordan possesses one of the most talented startup communities in the region—and it's time to give this community the attention it deserves".

The Chairman of Int@j Jawad Abbassi stressed on the significance of this initiative and the partnership between a Jordanian company and a global center such as Plug and Play, in addition to the importance of supporting the companies’ human resources by rehabilitation, guidance and counseling especially at the establishment and development stages.