BIGO Technology (BIGO), a Singapore-based Internet technology company which owns apps including Bigo Live and Likee, recently hosted officials from the Jordan Investment Commission (JIC) at their office in Amman, Jordan. During the visit, BIGO officials outlined the company’s vision for 2021, including plans to recruit over 400 Jordanians with specialisation in Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
As stated in its plan, BIGO announced the hiring of 50 AI experts in 2019, and has already recruited more than 200 Jordanians for technology and related roles by 2020. Continuing on its expansion strategy even during the pandemic period, BIGO makes an effort to stimulate and sustain economic growth within the country.
The members of the Jordanian Investment Council delegation expressed their appreciation of BIGO’s efforts in promoting social responsibility of multinational corporations by taking the lead in driving AI preparedness and adoption in Jordan. The officials described BIGO as a benchmark of successful foreign investment, and reaffirmed their commitment to facilitate BIGO’s investment and opportunities in Jordan.
“We are extremely honored to have had officials from the Jordanian Investment Council visit our office in Amman,” said Khaldoun Mahmoud, Head of Government Relations of BIGO in MENA Region. “Jordan leads the region in terms of technical talents, both regarding their passion as well as technical competencies. In fact, according to UNICEF, Jordan has one of the youngest populations in the world, with 63 percent of its population under the age of 30. They are highly motived, exceptionally talented, and in tune with the needs of high-tech industry. In close collaboration with local visionaries such as the JIC, we will continue to strengthen our presence in Jordan, and we look forward to growing our offerings to enterprises and consumers not just in the country, but across the region.”
BIGO’s Amman office, established in the second half of 2019 and inaugurated by H.E. Muthanna Gharaibeh, Minister for Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, serves as an additional regional hub to interact and engage with users and stakeholders. The growing investment by BIGO in Jordan cements a high-tech corporate presence in Jordan, and accelerates the advancement of AI skills among Jordanian youth, improving products and solutions, and increasing employment opportunities for technology professionals within the country.
In spite of a challenging year in a global pandemic, BIGO continued to see strong and positive growth for Bigo Live – its livestreaming platform –which is attracting 400 million users from more than 150 countries. In Jordan, BIGO Live app downloads increased by 237 percent year-over-year, and broadcasters in the region have approximately 15 million fans from across the world.
As a high-tech corporation powered by AI, BIGO is making an effort to push the boundaries of emerging technologies to promote online education, E-Government solutions, and content security. BIGO is also exploring and securing partnerships with academic institutions and universities in Jordan to provide industry-level content, insights, and course material, and prepare local talent for the future job market.
Khaldoun Mahmoud continued: “Our interactions with the Jordanian Investment Commission and various government entities have demonstrated that this country is the next growth frontier for innovative Internet businesses such as ours. We constantly seek and engage with partners who are interested in Jordan, to identify relevant opportunities for mutual benefit. Besides, we are also conscious of our responsibility to invest in activities and campaigns that support the overall health and wellbeing of people both in Jordan and across the region.”
One such campaign hosted by BIGO that have helped communities within the MENA region was the in-app awareness and education on COVID-19 and the proper safety measures and restrictions to keep users and their loved ones safe and healthy. During the pandemic, BIGO also took the initiative to donate over 5,000 masks and 25,000 medical surgical masks to frontline workers in Jordan, to support the country as it combated the impact of the virus.
The BIGO office in Jordan is the second regional office after Egypt, and the company is also looking to increase presence in the GCC region, as it already has strong user numbers representing more than a third of the GCC population.