Azerbaijan has entered a new stage in the development of its business support and investment promotion system with the launch of the Agency for the Development of Small and Medium Businesses, Investment and Export Promotion under the Ministry of Economy. The new institution brings together the functions previously carried out by the Small and Medium Business Development Agency, KOBIA, and the Export and Investment Promotion Agency, AZPROMO. The reform creates a single institutional platform covering three closely connected areas of economic activity: entrepreneurship, investment and exports.
The timing of the reform carries particular economic significance. Azerbaijan’s economic policy increasingly places emphasis on expanding non-oil activity, attracting investment into productive sectors and increasing the international reach of Azerbaijani companies. A structure that combines these areas can create a more direct connection between a domestic company’s growth, its access to investment and its eventual entry into foreign markets.
The new Agency has a workforce ceiling of 370 positions. The structure includes 291 positions in the central apparatus and 79 positions in regional divisions. This organization gives the institution a national operating platform while preserving a regional dimension for business development.
The most important feature of the reform lies in the combination of functions. A small or medium-sized company often moves through several stages during its development. It may begin with domestic production, seek financing for expansion, introduce new technologies, enter a partnership with a foreign investor and eventually export its products.
The new institutional model places these stages within one broad policy framework. Investment promotion represents another major component. The Agency is tasked with supporting investment in Azerbaijan’s non-oil and gas sector and helping coordinate services between government institutions, entrepreneurs and investors.
Its mandate includes investor attraction, investment project support and measures aimed at improving the investment environment. This approach can become particularly important as Azerbaijan seeks greater investment in manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, digital industries, renewable energy, tourism, mining and other productive sectors. Each successful investment project can generate demand for local suppliers, create employment, develop new skills and expand the country’s export potential.
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