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Accrediting The United International Private School to grant Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT)Dubai - Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) accredited the United International Private School in Dubai for training and examination services for granting Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT).

This unique diploma offers an opportunity to apply for two levels (Foundation and Advanced). The “Foundation level” is developed for candidates who aspire to develop practical IT skills, such as competently using software word processing, file management and Internet related skills. Candidates are awarded the certificate of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills once they have successfully passed the appropriate exam.

As for the “Advanced level”, it builds on the basic level training by providing advanced skills and training ensuring that candidates possess the specialized and advanced IT skills needed by employers.

IN THIS ISSUE:Accrediting The United International Private School to grant Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT)

Accrediting Future Techno Soft Institute-FTSI in Yemen to grant Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT)

Accrediting Infotech Institute for private Training to grant Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT)

During his patronage of ‘Careers Day’ at JIS Abu-Ghazaleh patronizes career day at International Schools: Knowledge creation for wealth creation

Dr. Abu Ghazaleh to lecture at MIT on April 15th and Harvard on 16th

At the 2nd Jordan Food & Drug Administration Congress Abu-Ghazaleh Recommends Establishing a Taskforce in the Pharmaceutical Industry to lead Transformation to the Knowledge Age

Abu-Ghazaleh: Establishment of TAG-Org’s Third Office in Iraq, and Agreements with Iraqi Government Authorities

Issue 17 April 2018

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The added value of TAG-DIT Diploma:1. Bilingual: The examination may be provided either in Arabic or in English.2. Credibility: Correcting examinations is done electronically without human

intervention.3. Speed: On the trainee screen, examination results are presented immediately

after the exam is over.4. Flexibility: The option of applying to the examinations is available at any

time and at any of the approved centers.5. Gradual promotion: The certificate shall be awarded in accordance with the

passed modules, starting from the first module and so on.6. Possibility of applying for one exam out of the seven.7. The certificate is issued by Talal Abu-Ghazaleh E-Training Center.8. There is no registration fee.

Accrediting Future Techno Soft Institute-FTSI in Yemen to grant Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT)

Accrediting Infotech Institute for private Training to grant Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT)

Yemen- Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) accredited Future Techno Soft Institute (FTSI in Yemen for training and examination services for granting Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT).

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT) is considered one of the international certifications that deal with computer literacy.

Kuwait - Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) accredited Infotech Institute for private Training in Kuwait for training and examination services for granting Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT).

The diploma involves seven training materials according to which evaluation will be performed, as follows:1. Introduction to Information Technology.2. Using computer and managing files using “Microsoft Windows”.3. Word processing using “Microsoft Word”.4. Worksheets Using “Microsoft Excel”.5. Information and Communication Using “Internet Explorer”.6. Presentations using “Microsoft PowerPoint”.7. Databases using “Microsoft Access”.

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAG-DIT) is considered one of the international certifications that deal with computer literacy.

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During his patronage of ‘Careers Day’ at JISAbu-Ghazaleh patronizes career day at International Schools: Knowledge creation for wealth creation

AMMAN - Under the patronage of HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Jordan International Schools (JIS) organized a ‘Careers Day’ in the presence of HE Dr. Marwan Kamal, School Principal Ms. Hadeel Ramadan, representatives of the School Management, as well as academic staff, students and their parents.

‘Careers Day’ was organized to highlight the best methods and mechanisms for enabling students to choose appropriate future professions in accordance with labor market requirements. Accordingly, a special job fair was organized by the schools featuring the participation of various companies given the opportunity to promote their services, including the participation of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization.

During the event, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh expressed his delight at being invited to such an event due to its significance in preparing students to choose their future professions. He also asserted his vision and belief that the world is shifting from a civil state to a creativity and inventions state, and that, currently, the economic magnitude of creative and innovative corporations in the world of knowledge is larger than the entire Arab economy.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh reiterated the importance of shifting towards knowledge as a means for wealth creation, adding that any future profession would be based on ICT; therefore, ‘Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University College for Applied Business and IT’ was recently established and will open its doors to students in early

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September. The College, according to Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh, is the first of its kind that aims at producing innovative graduates who would be obliged to create a new, feasible invention that serves the community as a graduation requirement.

Moreover, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stressed the importance of setting goals in life and working hard to achieve them. He claimed that this is a part of the human role on earth and that it all starts with an applicable idea, adding that “whatever the human mind believes in would be achievable and there is no limitation to ideas and ambition.”

He also said, “Power is not about money, however, it’s the power of perseverance, determination, clear vision, open mind and commitment to work not to forget that our ability to achieve will be even stronger if we exercise love and tolerance”.

He expressed hopes that students will learn from his own life success story during which he succeeded in transforming suffering into a blessing, overcoming all obstacles without relying on any support. He stated that an individual’s belief in such a concept will result in producing knowledge leaders who are even greater than Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.

For her part, Principal of the Schools Ms. Ramadan expressed her gratitude for the patronage of Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh noting that the students had a great and unique opportunity to meet with Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh and benefit from his guidance and experience.

She pointed out that the students learned much from the life story of Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh who started as a refugee, and despite severe hardships and lack of resources he managed to eventually become one of the leaders and pioneers in various fields, overcoming all obstacles to become a role model for individuals all around the world.

During the ceremony, Dr. Kamal presented an honorary shield to Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh in recognition of his patronage and ongoing outstanding services to the community.

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Dr. Abu Ghazaleh to lecture at MIT on April 15th and Harvard on 16th

AMMAN - His Excellency Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh will head to Boston, US, to lecture at the SciTech Conference, hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on April 15th. On the following day, he will be a guest at Harvard University, where he is scheduled to deliver another lecture.

Senior Media Advisor and Special Representative for International Strategic Communication at Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org), Mr. Khalid Dalal, said that the visit to MIT “comes upon an invitation by the Arab Students Organization (ASO) at the institute,” where Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh, TAG-Org’s founder and chairman, will deliver the concluding remarks at SciTech Conference organized by ASO, during which he will present his vision of the future of technology in the world and its impact on human life worldwide.

At Harvard, Dalal continued, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh’s visit to the world’s most prominent educational institution comes upon an invitation from the Harvard Arab Students Association. In

his lecture organized by the association and hosted at Harvard Campus, he will address university students shedding light on his distinguished success story and discuss prospects of cooperation between TAG-Org and the students association.

On the sidelines of the visit, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh will hold meetings to promote knowledge transformation in the Arab region, and how best to harness the abilities and knowledge of Arab graduates from international universities, especially those topping global ranking lists, towards that end.

Commenting on his planned US visit, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said: “Time has come for qualified Arab alumni of the world’s top-500 universities to take the initiative and contribute to transforming Arab countries into knowledge communities and knowledge governments”.

In this regard, Abu-Ghazaleh, who will be accompanied during the visit by His Excellency Dr. Jawad Anani and Mr. Dalal, refereed to the post-WWII Marshall Plan for reconstructing war-devastated Europe, calling for the “need to carry out a similar program for knowledge construction in the Arab World, especially since the accelerating ICT revolution provides more of the necessary means and tools for knowledge-based rebuilding and development than it was available during the time of the Marshall Plan”.

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At the 2nd Jordan Food & Drug Administration CongressAbu-Ghazaleh Recommends Establishing a Taskforce in the Pharmaceutical Industry to lead Transformation to the Knowledge Age

AMMAN - HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) thanked HE. Mr. Faisal Al Fayez for the invitation and stressed the fact that TAG-Org considers itself a partner in this field while also having the ability to cooperate and supply advice regarding the subject. He later highlighted the need for establishing a taskforce to study the transformation of the Jordanian pharmaceutical industry to a knowledge based industry, paving the way for a better future for the upcoming generations.

Speaking at the 2nd Jordan Food & Drug Administration Congress held under the patronage of HE Mr. Faisal Al Fayez, President of the Jordanian Senate,

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh tackled the topics of the Pharmaceutical Industry locally and globally, Clinical Trials Growth and Innovation while stressing the importance of addressing various issues that are considered challenging. He also said that Jordan’s health sector has made excellent progress, but also claimed that it is not enough. He addressed the fact that the pharmaceutical sector is a key contributor of Jordan’s economy, seeing as 80% of the kingdoms’ p h a r m a c e u t i c a l production is exported to over 60 global markets. In 2016, those sales totaled US$676 million while imports dropped by 10%.

“Does the research in drugs benefit from expired patents for developing new drugs or

settle with the old ones but use different names? Does the pharmaceutical industry really encourage innovation or does it seek to maintain its market with what it already has thus providing no encouragement to new innovations,” Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said.

“Is there a need for a college for innovation in such an industry? We have established a college specialized in innovation where students cannot graduate unless they have presented an invention. The Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University College for Applied Business and IT (TAGUC) assists innovators in all aspects. This industry is based on innovation and clinical trials which lead to providing safe and effective drugs for all people,” he said.

TAGUC is an independent college dedicated to encouraging students to be innovative and creative by offering an unmatched support system that is necessary to create a

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suitable environment for students to succeed in the ever-challenging world of Information Technology.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh further stressed the need for embracing ICT in the development of this industry saying: “Developing the pharmaceutical industry needs the use of the latest technology and we should ask ourselves if we are sufficiently embracing the power of ICT in the industry’s research and inventions?”, citing the example of Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) which did embrace the power of ICT and became the world leader in IP, filing more than 4000 pharmaceutical patents in the past five years. AGIP has won “The Best IP Advisor in Africa & the Middle East” as well as other prestigious awards and recognitions. They have also participated in IAM Pharma and BioTech

IP Summit, which was held in London, UK, on the 8th of February 2018.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh also questioned whether the patent protection period of 20 years is too long in this knowledge age. “I am on the board of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) where I asked the same question; do we need to continue with the 20-year-protection period which hinders new inventions or reduce it.” He also stressed that patent protection is a necessary key to success and development and claimed that Market size and low risk of infringement do not mean that there is no need to protect your patent.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh briefed the attendees on some of the future technologies; most importantly Artificial Intelligence (AI), a subject for which he holds much passion. Dr.

Abu-Ghazaleh believes that the near future of industry will be dependent on AI, including the pharmaceutical industry.

Globally, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh asked if we need to study the Denmark model.

“Pharmaceutical products are the single biggest export commodity from Denmark to the United States. Within the last decade, the export of Danish pharmaceutical products has more than tripled and we need to think why not Jordan? I propose the establishment of an Innovation Taskforce that will take this industry, the Jordanian pharmaceutical industry to another level,” he stated.

Around 300 local and international speakers and leading experts in the field of pharmaceutical took part in the two- day event held at the Fairmont Amman Hotel.

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Abu-Ghazaleh: Establishment of TAG-Org’s Third Office in Iraq, and Agreements with Iraqi Government Authorities

BAGHDAD - HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh held separate meetings with high ranking Iraqi officials including the Secretary-General of the Iraqi Council of Ministers HE Dr. Mahdi Al-Allaq, Iraqi Minister of Planning HE Salman Al-Jumili, and Minister of Labor and Social Affairs HE Eng. Mohammed Shayaa Al-Sudani.

The meetings were held in the presence of HE Dr. Jawad Al Anani, former deputy prime minister of Jordan, Iraqi Ambassador to Jordan HE Safia Al-Suhail, and twenty directors representing various activities at Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org).

Secretary-General of the Iraqi Council of MinistersDuring his meeting with Dr. Al-Allaq, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated that e-government is the ideal solution for achieving transparency and credibility in the performance of all government agencies stressing the importance of activating governance as a precautionary measure to thwart corruption and violations.

He referred to various areas of cooperation between Iraq and Jordan and called for cooperation in development of integrity standards based on Jordan’s experience in this field, proposing the establishment of an independent council of ministers to supervise planning and implementation of e-government in Iraq. In addition, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh called for the establishment of an Iraqi-Jordanian council for cooperation and construction adding that Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization will

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provide the Ministry with a proposal for establishing the Iraq-Jordanian Cooperation Council.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh, meanwhile, advocated support for national investments and attracting Iraqi investors from outside Iraq, reiterating TAG-Org’s readiness to provide all required services that support the use of smart cards in Iraq.

Minister of PlanningIn his meeting with Al-Jumili, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh expressed Jordan’s eagerness, particularly by the private sector, to cooperate with Iraq and proceed with the Desert Route project from the Jordanian side to activate the Al-Karamah Border Crossing and increase trade between the two countries. He also suggested the establishment of the “Middle Zone of the Arab World” to create economic cooperation and establish new infrastructure in countries including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine within a well-studied plan for reconstruction noting that this project has been already discussed with the Chinese party for the required funding.

Abu-Ghazaleh also underlined the importance of proceeding with the ‘three-tracks of illiteracy’ project, capacity building initiatives, particularly in the field of judicial training and proposing capacity building and training cooperation in the fields of English language, computer skills and Internet, as well as the provision of an Internet line to Iraqi universities through ASREN. He also acknowledged the importance of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh International Diploma in IT Skills (TAGDIT) certificate.

Meanwhile, Al-Jumaili underlined the deep-rooted relations between Iraq and Jordan attributed to strong political and social bonds noting that there are various initiatives between the two countries that need to be activated.

He also discussed a plan to activate the already signed Jordanian-Iraqi agreements and proceed to implementation phase stressing the importance of development as the cornerstone in finding balance in the field of investment.

Minister of Labor and Social AffairsIn his meeting with Minister Al-Sudani, agreement was reached for the establishment of a central project that connects libraries in Iraq with international libraries worldwide while providing all required infrastructure, in addition to the establishment of an Iraqi-Jordanian knowledge forum to exchange expertise in the fields of education, business, culture and management among others.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh announced his decision to open a third office for Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization in Iraq, in addition to the existing offices in the governorates of Baghdad and Erbil.