DAVOS, Switzerland, January 22. Azerbaijan and the World Economic Forum (WEF) are collaborating on the development of a Digital Transformation Roadmap for 650 Azerbaijani companies by 2030, said Executive Director at the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Azerbaijan Fariz Jafarov, Trend reports.
"The World Economic Forum has 21 Fourth Industrial Revolution centers around the world. Azerbaijan is leading one of them. The Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, under the Ministry of Economy, is a public legal entity established in 2021 by a decree from President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The center's main activities include cooperation with the WEF, bringing global expertise to Azerbaijan, digitalizing industries, implementing the 'Industry 4.0' concept, developing new technologies, and promoting the digital economy in Azerbaijan," he told reporters on the sidelines of the WEF in Davos.
According to Jafarov, the center is cooperating with the World Economic Forum in several areas.
"Traditionally, the World Economic Forum publishes a series of reports ahead of the Davos Forum. One of them is the Fourth Industrial Revolution Centers' Impact Report, where they shared success stories in more than four different areas related to Azerbaijan. One of them highlights a strategy developed for the digital economy, the creation of technological centers under this strategy, and the digital transformation of more than 650 companies, including efforts to enhance people's knowledge and skills in the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
In particular, our cooperation with Coursera was noted. As you know, last year, 10,000 Azerbaijani citizens were given free access to the Coursera online educational platform to acquire knowledge and skills in Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. This year, the program will expand to cover 200,000 people. The report also includes the results of a survey conducted by the World Economic Forum in Azerbaijan on attracting foreign investments to the country’s digital economy.
Based on the survey, a recommendation document was prepared in 13 areas, with interviews conducted with over 100 companies in Azerbaijan, including face-to-face interviews with 15 companies. Issues related to the development of startups, ecosystems, and innovations were discussed, and recommendations were made on the steps needed to attract foreign investors to Azerbaijan. We have already shared this document with various stakeholders in our country," he explained.
Jafarov pointed out that in connection with the COP29 event held in Azerbaijan last year, the WEF selected the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Azerbaijan as a partner and prepared a report on artificial intelligence in energy.
"In this report, we presented 40 successful advanced
applications of artificial intelligence developed by our Center.
The contribution of Azerbaijan was also reflected in this document.
Our center is also a member of the WEF’s Global Alliance on
Artificial Intelligence Governance, and our experts participate in
this initiative.
Meanwhile, the center is part of the working group on government
technologies, known as 'GovTech'.
Recently, another report from the World Economic Forum on government technologies was published. Seven countries were highlighted as examples, and it was noted that, thanks to public-private partnerships, Azerbaijan has implemented more than 10 government projects in various areas. These include the electronic tendering platform, ASAN Visa, and several other achievements. Additionally, ASAN Xidmət is also cited as a successful model for public services," he said.
Jafarov added that this report presented seven countries, including Azerbaijan, as examples with the best practices.
"Moreover, we are conducting research with the World Economic Forum on the application of smart technologies in industry and diagnosing companies in the industrial sector in Azerbaijan to identify gaps. We are also exploring international technologies that could be applied to address these gaps.
Several companies in Azerbaijan have already undergone this assessment. This methodology was brought to Azerbaijan by us. We are cooperating on the process of 650 Azerbaijani companies, including small and medium-sized businesses, undergoing this assessment by 2030, developing a Digital Transformation Roadmap for them, and implementing technologies.
Several networks of the World Economic Forum include international organizations, such as Apple, Google, TikTok, Binance, and others. Our center is helping to ensure the presence of these companies in Azerbaijan, establishing connections with new partners, and organizing collaborations with universities and other research centers," he concluded.