BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 25. The presentation of Karabakh SME program was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (KOBİA) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Orkhan Mammadov addressed the presentation of the program.
"At the presentation ceremony of "Karabakh SME" program on behalf of KOBİA, I welcome all participants of the event, representatives of state bodies, families of martyrs and veterans and thank everyone for their participation," he said.
He addressed the participants of the event noting that the name of the program "Karabakh SME", at first glance may give the impression that this project will cover only SMEs that will work in Azerbaijan's Karabakh. However, the program intends to cover not only Karabakh, but also, together with the next stages, the whole of Azerbaijan.
"The peculiarity of this program is that the participants of this program will be the sons of our Motherland, who brought us victory in the second Karabakh war, participated in the liberation of our lands from occupation. Therefore, at the beginning of our event we ask God's mercy to the martyrs who gave their lives in this victorious war, we wish health to our veterans," Orkhan Mammadov emphasized.
"We have been observing the comprehensive care of the Azerbaijani state for the victims of war, in particular the families of martyrs and veterans for 3 years already. This is one of the main directions of social policy of the Azerbaijani state. Persons who performed heroic deeds during the second Karabakh war and their family members are treated with special attention and care. The country's leadership takes important decisions to further improve their life. Various social support programs are implemented for them," he noted.
Mammadov said that Karabakh SME Program is the next project that is being implemented in the direction of social support. The main goal in the implementation of this program is to improve the financial and social well-being of families of Martyrs, war participants, as well as members of their families, and to contribute to the increase of workplaces in their places of residence.
"Karabakh SME" program covers Baku, Shamakhi, Ismayilli, Sheki, as well as Zagatala district. Within the framework of the program, the candidates selected from the families of martyrs and the war participants themselves, as well as their family members, will be provided with necessary trainings on the topics: "financial management", "business plan development", "marketing", "marketing on social media", "human resource management", "sales". Certificates will be given to the participants of the project.
He added that participants selected under the self-employment program who have already been trained will be provided with the necessary equipment to build their own business and will receive professional training. As a result of the project, 50 new business entities will be created.
At the same time, a platform is being developed where entrepreneurs will be able to offer their products and services that will be created under this program. Through this platform, new participants who join the project in the future will also be able to provide their services and products.
The project is being implemented with the organization of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (KOBİA) and the State Employment Agency under the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection and with a grant from "Pasha Holding".
"Today, we need to work more intensively to provide employment for the families of martyrs and veterans and improve their material well-being. I believe that as successfully as we launched this program, we will complete it with the same success. After the second Karabakh war our activities in this direction became even more intensive. Because we have developed a very great experience. Thus, even in the pre-war period, KOBİA conducted various activities to support the development of entrepreneurship among socially vulnerable groups," the chairman noted.
For example, under a joint project of KOBİA and the State Employment Agency, small livestock farms have been established for veterans of the second Karabakh war and martyrs family members in Shamkir, Gazakh, Tovuz and Salyan districts. The project entitled "Development of family business and self-employment in the field of animal husbandry in villages" serves to create small farms for citizens from socially vulnerable group.
According to the project, these individuals were provided with Simmental cattle breed animals, milking machines, pitchforks, feed mills and special feeds. With the transferred assets, they established their own small farms. In the coming period, the project participants will also be provided with mentoring support for business development and assistance in improving their access to markets.
At the same time, within the framework of the Mobile Coffee Houses Project jointly supported by the Small and Medium Business Development Agency and the State Employment Agency, 20 unemployed people under the age of 35 willing to work in Azerbaijan's Baku and Absheron district were provided with the necessary equipment to open mobile coffee houses. This time, when selecting project participants, preference was given to members of martyrs families and veterans. They were equipped with a coffee trailer, coffee machine and coffee grinder within the framework of the project aimed at supporting the self-employment program.
The chairman added that KOBİA joined the "Employment Marathon", which was launched to support the employment of family members of the Martyrs of the second Karabakh war and veterans, and encouraged business entities to participate in this charitable initiative. Within the framework of this marathon, about 200 business entities who joined KOBİA's call advertised 345 vacant jobs, resulting in 73 people getting jobs in 38 business entities.
At the same time, three participants of the second Karabakh war got jobs in the Small and Medium Business Development Agency.
"In other projects we implement, we also pay special attention to socially vulnerable people and territories affected during the second Karabakh war. In order to provide employment together with the State Employment Agency and Vocational Education Agency, the Youth Business Seminar project was initially implemented in 3 districts, one of which is in Aghdam district. Within the project, which is still ongoing, 73 young people from Aghdam district will be trained by KOBİA and will participate in the employment program based on assessment in the next phase," Mammmadov said.
In the coming period, KOBİA is ready to support the promotion and sale of its products and the establishment of business contacts by providing free participation in exhibitions, fairs and festivals for people from the families of martyrs and veterans of the second Karabakh war, just as it does today.
Orkhan Mammadov believes that "Karabakh SME" program will also contribute to the increase of economic activity of people from martyr and veteran families. At the same time, he declared that KOBİA will do its best to support the economic development of martyr and veteran families in future activities as well, and will constantly support them as the proudest members of society.