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Projects on the development of entrepreneurship and SMEs in rural areas have been completed 22.02.22

The EU-funded projects "Support to the Government of Azerbaijan in creating a more favorable SME environment and increasing competitiveness" and "Support to the development of entrepreneurship in rural areas of Azerbaijan" of which the Ministry of Economy and the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA) are the beneficiaries have been completed.

It should be noted that the purpose of these projects is to support the development of entrepreneurship and SMEs in rural areas, increasing their competitiveness. In order to strengthen the capacity and skills of the employees of the beneficiary organizations, various trainings, seminars and round tables were organized for more than 400 employees, and field trips to Turkey, Spain, Romania and Greece were organized within the projects.

Various documents, recommendations and training materials supporting the development of entrepreneurship and SMEs were prepared, a start-up competition "From Idea to Successful Business" was held with the participation of startups operating in the regions, a monitoring and evaluation system was established to measure the effectiveness of SME Development Centers and other activities were implemented.

An event dedicated to the results of these projects was organized by the Ministry of Economy and the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan on February 22 with the support of SMBDA.

The event was attended by employees of relevant government agencies, the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan and entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Board of SMBDA Orkhan Mammadov shared his views on economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union, the Agency's services to SMEs, and the support of relevant projects for the development of the SME sector in our country. It was noted that these projects are aimed at supporting activities in this area, covering priority directions of economic policy. The results obtained within the projects will have a positive impact on the activities of SMBDA and other beneficiary organizations.

EU Ambassador to Azerbaijan Peter Michalko spoke about the projects implemented between our country and the organization in various fields, including the support of entrepreneurship and the improvement of the business environment, noting the importance of expanding cooperation in this area. It was noted that currently cooperation on SMEs covers the areas of digitalization and "green economy", and the European Union is ready to share its experience with Azerbaijan in this area.

Speaking on behalf of the project consortiums, Ilgar Mehti, head of Equita, and Dimitrios Bakolas, President of European Profiles, as well as John Toner and Alberto Gomez, who made presentations on the projects, spoke about the work done within the projects.

Sakina Babayeva, chairwoman of the Association for the Development of Women's Entrepreneurship in Azerbaijan, one of the partners in the projects, the winner of the project's "From Idea to Successful Business" startup competition and UNEC representative, shared views on support of the projects of the development of women's entrepreneurship in the regions, youth startup projects in the regions and their contribution to increasing the business knowledge of young people interested in entrepreneurship.