What Jordan Open Source Association does

Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Amman, Jordan, founded in 2011 to promote open source software, digital rights, and technology capacity-building across the Middle East. The organization operates seven thematic programs — Open Source Software, Hardware, Internet, Privacy, Digital Security, Open Knowledge, and Open Government — delivered through TechTalks, workshops, bootcamps, hackathons, cryptoparties, youth camps, public panels, and community meetups. JOSA serves students, teachers, government bodies, ICT professionals, and the general citizenry, functioning as both an advocacy body and a capacity-building platform for Jordan's technology ecosystem. The organization is led by Executive Director Issa Mahasneh and operates with 11–50 staff.

JOSA's business model is that of a grant-funded non-profit with no earned revenue; programming is delivered at no cost to participants and the organization is sustained by donations and grants from public and private donors. Named institutional partners include the Jordan Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MODEE), the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), and OpenAI. In May 2026, JOSA became a recipient of OpenAI's EMEA Youth & Wellbeing Grant, a €500,000 fund distributed across 12 organizations in the EMEA region. The operating model is fundamentally community-driven, relying on volunteer engagement, event-based programming, and policy advocacy rather than technology product development.

Name

Jordan Open Source Association

Legal name

Jordan Open Source Association

Website

https://josa.ngo

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA) is a non-profit, Amman-based open source advocacy organization running seven thematic programs in software, hardware, privacy, digital security, and open government, serving students, educators, ICT professionals, and citizens across Jordan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing (MPAJABAG)

Keywords

• Open source advocacy
• Digital rights training
• Open government data
• Digital inclusion policy
• Technology community programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Amman

HQ country

Jordan

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Others: JOSA is a not-for-profit organization. The website and content are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-SA 3.0). The organization receives support from partners and like-minded entities to keep projects and initiatives running.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA) is a Jordanian not-for-profit organization that advocates for the adoption of open source technologies, open government, open knowledge, and open internet in Jordan. It delivers its mission through policy advocacy, community training programs, technical events (TechTalks, workshops, bootcamps, hackathons, cryptoparties), research and publications, and partnerships with government bodies and international organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Source Software Advocacy Program Ongoing advocacy initiative that promotes open source software adoption across Jordan's technology sector, encouraging developers to contribute to open source projects to improve their skills.
• Open Government Program Ongoing initiative pushing for government transparency through the release of open government data, improving access to government information, and releasing data and content under an open government license.
• Privacy Program Ongoing program advocating that personal information should be afforded legal and technological protections, pushing for legislation that protects user data, promotes strong encryption, and limits mass surveillance.
• JOSA TechTalks Premier series of technical sessions tailored for tech professionals in Jordan, featuring hands-on sessions, discussions, and lectures covering open-source topics including Machine Learning, Data Science, Software Engineering, Web Development, and DevOps.
• JOSA Bootcamps Intensive training bootcamps organized by JOSA, including the JOSA AI Bootcamp, covering various technology topics for skill development.
• JOSA Workshops Hands-on technical workshops organized by JOSA for the community, covering topics such as RISC-V, Malware Analysis, Cyber Threat Intelligence, and other cybersecurity subjects.
• JOSA Blog Publication platform featuring reflections and opinions on open source technologies, and topics at the intersection of human rights and technology, written by JOSA team and volunteer members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Considerable impact on ICT policies in Jordan, promoting fairer and privacy-preserving policies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MODEE) - JordancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJOSA cooperates with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship on digital transformation initiatives. JOSA supported the development of Jordanian Digital Inclusion Policy and Implementation Plan 2025. The partnership also includes work on a national charter of AI ethics, which will make Jordan one of the leading countries on an international scale in this regard.
• Various local and international organisationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJOSA cooperates with a multitude of local and international organisations, including governments. The organization relies on the generosity of like-minded entities to keep projects and initiatives running.
• Various stakeholder organizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJOSA conducted consultations and stakeholder feedback sessions, including a feedback session at the Global Gathering in Portugal bringing together experts from Tunisia, Argentina, The Gambia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. Local stakeholders included government representatives, private sector actors, women's rights organizations, civil society groups, and academics.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Privacy International: UK-based charity that defends the right to privacy across the world. Closely aligned with JOSA's Privacy Program, surveillance advocacy, and policy memo work on data protection.
• The Tor Project: Non-profit advancing privacy and freedom online through open-source tools (Tor Browser). Shares JOSA's commitment to open source, digital security, and Cryptoparty-style community education.
• Mozilla Foundation: Foundation supporting an open, accessible, and healthy internet — overlapping with JOSA's Open Internet, Open Source, and digital rights advocacy mission across education, policy, and community engagement.
• Access Now: International digital rights organization defending and extending the digital rights of users at risk. Operates with a similar policy advocacy + community training + international grant-funded model as JOSA.
• Open Knowledge Foundation: Global non-profit advocating for open knowledge, open data, and open government — closely aligned with JOSA's Open Knowledge and Open Government programs and community-led advocacy model.
• ARTICLE 19: International human rights organization focused on freedom of expression and digital rights — directly comparable mission and advocacy operating model to JOSA.
• Internet Society: Global non-profit promoting the open development, evolution, and use of the internet — directly comparable to JOSA's Open Internet program and policy engagement on internet governance.
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Leading digital rights non-profit defending civil liberties in the digital world. EFF's focus on privacy, free expression, and open standards directly mirrors JOSA's Privacy, Digital Security, and Open Internet programs.

Regional players

• Digital Rights Foundation (DRF): Pakistan-based digital rights NGO working on issues including privacy, surveillance, and online safety — a regional peer operating in a similar South Asian / Muslim-majority context with comparable advocacy and training delivery.
• SMEX: Lebanon-based digital rights organization working across the Arabic-speaking MENA region on digital rights, internet policy, and open internet advocacy — a regional parallel to JOSA with comparable programs and target population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jo_osa
• GitHubgithub.com/jordanopensource
• Facebookfacebook.com/jordanopensource
• Instagraminstagram.com/jordanopensource

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Jordan Open Source Association