Azerbaijan: From Transition to Knowledge Economy

1
Azerbaijan From Transition to Knowledge Economy

2
Country Context

• Transition economy
• Low income on the way to middle income
• Natural resource rich
• Digital divide - urban vs. rural
• Conflict affected

3
Strategic Goal

• Manage natural resource revenues to the benefit
  of the people through effective development of
  non-oil sector

4
Challenges

• Poor infrastructure
• Weak law enforcement
• Lack of competition/good governance
• Weak business skills and management traditions
• Poor access to information in regions

5
What to Do ?

• Develop Skills
• Promote Innovation

6
How to Do ?

• Promote ICT development in Country
• Development through Education

7
Policies

• National Strategy for Development of ICT
• State Program for realization National Strategy
  (pending approval)
  
• State Program for Regional Development
• State Program for Education Sector Reform
• Legal Framework Antimonopoly Code, FDI Law,
  Banking Law, Education Law
  

8
Activities

• E-Government Network Initiative (1,6mln)
• Modernization of Post Offices to deliver
  services country- wide (18mln)
  
• Improvement of the Internet Infrastructure for
  research, education and civil society - AzNET
  (1,4mln)
  
• State Project for the computerization of the
  public schools (20mln)
  
• Distant education project (0,4mln Euro
  0,8mln)
  
• School Libraries project (0,3mln)
• FIAS- administrative barriers survey
• Entrepreneurship council dialog between
  Government and business community
  
• Entrepreneurship Development Fund

9
Who will benefit ?

• Education sector
• Business community
• Research and scientific institutions
• Regional and rural communities

10
Multistakeholder Approach

• Government
• Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of
  Communication IT, Ministry of Education,
  National Bank, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of
  Justice, local authorities
• Donor Community
• WB, UNDP, ADB, EU
• Civil Society
• NGOs, Academia
• Private sector

11
How to Measure ?

• Number of users of the new financial services
• Number of governmental organizations providing
  G2C-Services
  
• Number of Distant Learning Program participants
• Increase in Higher Education enrollment rate
  (from regions)
  
• Entities joined to High Speed Data Transfer
  Network
  
• Quantity of startups
• Volume of investments in rural areas