BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 18. Some 85 percent of the EU companies in Azerbaijan in 2021 were increasing the digitalization process as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Trend reports via the sixth edition of the EU Business Climate Survey.
As the EU report said, digitalization of the private sector became an essential tool to sustain businesses and improve their resilience amid the pandemic.
Meanwhile, according to the research from the World Bank, more than 60 percent of small, and 70 percent of medium-sized enterprises increased their online activity over the last two years, the report said.
“European companies keep seeking for further prioritization of Azerbaijani IT infrastructure as a crucial factor for digitalization of the private sector”. As the survey indicated, most European investors, namely 76 percent, consider that speed and quality of the internet in the country still remains an issue, while the other 48 percent think the conditions of the internet providers and the terms for connecting to the network should be improved. Also, 40 percent of the EU companies think that in order to boost the Azerbaijani IT sector, the digital skills of the employees should be developed.
The report also noted that rural areas require special attention, as they suffer from a remarkable gap in digital infrastructure, compared to large cities.
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