BAKU, November 18, 2016. BAKU. Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sponsored a conference on "SME Development in Azerbaijan" as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week at the Holiday Inn Hotel.
The event, which was organized by the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan and with support from USAID-supported Micro-Enterprise Support Project, gathered members of parliament, representatives from government agencies, public unions, international organizations, embassies, think tanks, and universities. Speakers spoke about the SME development in Azerbaijan, its current state and goals, and ways of development of the Public-Private Dialogue.
U.S. Ambassador Robert Cekuta made a speech at the conference. The Ambassador said that "This week, we are celebrating entrepreneurship in more than 160 countries. From November 14-20, nearly 10 million people around the world will participate in a variety of events and competitions which will inspire, connect, and engage the next generation of entrepreneurs". According to his speech, "In Azerbaijan, the United States has long supported entrepreneurship for women and men and continues to do so. We support the establishment of new and emerging businesses by building entrepreneurial skills and knowledge through projects funded by the United States Agency for International Development. These projects encourage women and youth to develop an interest in entrepreneurship that will in turn create Azerbaijan's future business leaders".
He also noted that "The general business climate in a country is as important for an entrepreneur as having the skills and desire to start a business. For this reason, the U.S. Government applauds the recent steps the Government of Azerbaijan has taken to facilitate business growth. Policy and regulatory environment reforms improve the business environment, strengthen competition, and enable the growth of small and medium-sized businesses. This helps strengthen the overall economy, potentially facilitating exports and improving job prospects for Azerbaijanis".
After the speeches, the conference continued with panels. The first panel was dedicated to the theme: Small Enterprise Development in Azerbaijan: current state and goals. The Chairman of the panel was: Vahid Ahmadov - Member of Parliament. Elchin Ibrahimov - Head of the Entrepreneurship Development Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy, Elvin Shirinov - Department Manager of ABAD public legal entity and Samir Aliyev - expert of the Support for Economic Initiatives Public Union made a speech in the conference.
The second panel was dedicated to the theme: Ways of Development of Public-Private Dialogue. Chairman of the panel was: Rasim Musabayov - Member of Parliament Mr. Vugar Zeynalov - Vice president of the National Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers') Organizations of Azerbaijan Republic, Natavan Mammadova – Executive Director of AmCham Azerbaijan and Galib Bayramov - Director of the Economic Research Center made a speech.
Presentation: The simplified support of family business (ABAD). Elchin Ibrahimov (Head of the Entrepreneurship Development Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy) and Elvin Shirinov (Department Manager of ABAD public legal entity).
Presentation: Public-private sector dialogue. Galib Bayramov (Director of the Economic Research Center).
Presentation: Problems of lending to SMEs. Samir Aliyev (expert of the Support for Economic Initiatives Public Union).
