SMB

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Presentation of the "Digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises in Eastern Partnership countries" Program held 11.10.23

In 2023-2026, a program to support digitalization of SMBs will be realized.

The presentation of the "Digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises in Eastern Partnership countries" Program was held. Representatives of relevant government agencies and international organizations attended the event.

Rauf Najafli, Advisor to the Minister of Economy, Heiko Schwarz, Deputy Head of mission at the German Embassy in Azerbaijan, Tilman Nagel and Sandra Schenke, representatives of GİZ, shared their views on the policy of digital transformation of SMBs in Eastern Partnership countries, the significance of digitalization in the development of SMBs, advanced practices in the relevant field, and cooperation in this field.

Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBİA), stated that the Agency places special importance on the digitalization of business, the study of international experience in this field, and the relevant support tools of Europe can contribute to the development of local SMBs. It was emphasized that digitization in business allows SMBs to grow by making more flexible decisions, offer new products and services, improve customer satisfaction, diminish operational costs, and achieve high productivity without increasing the workforce. The "Startup" certificate issued by KOBİA to SMBs, grant support, as well as the activities of the Startup Development Center support the digitization of SMBs.

In his presentation on the project, Niklas Ruffer, Director of the program, underlined that the program for the period of 2023-2026 aims to support the strengthening of the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises, given the digital transformation. It was stated that the beneficiaries of the program are small and medium scope entities. Within the scope of the project, it is expected to bring about the necessary conditions for the digital transformation of small and medium enterprises at the institutional and structural levels, reinforce the statistical base, strengthen cooperation between stakeholders in the digital and entrepreneurial ecosystems to improve service areas, and improve the opportunities for applying digital solutions in the field of business and production. The program is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany and implemented by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). The project will be implemented in Azerbaijan and other Eastern Partnership countries. KOBİA is one of the main partners of the program for Azerbaijan.

Subsequently, the representatives of the agencies that program partners – KOBİA, the Center for Analysis and Communication of Economic Reforms, the Innovation and Digital Development Agency, and the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution made presentations on the projects to be implemented jointly as part of the program for the digitalization of SMBs.