President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated in the opening of the “Baku SME House.”
Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBIA), briefed the head of state about the “Baku SME House,” located in the Narimanov district of the capital.
It was reported that the “Baku SME House,” the third of its kind, has a total area of 11,262 square meters. The first two floors of the three-story building are designated for providing services to entrepreneurs, while the third floor is intended for staff. The “Baku SME House” has the capacity to serve up to 5,000 entrepreneurs per day. Meeting, training, startup and mediation rooms, as well as a conference hall, have also been established for entrepreneurs.
At the “Baku SME House,” more than 150 types of services will be provided by 29 government agencies, while more than 100 types of services will be offered by 20 private organizations. Entrepreneurs can apply to the “Baku SME House” for business registration, obtaining licenses and permits, preparing business plans, accessing preferential financing, tax and customs services, connecting to utilities, as well as banking, insurance and other services.
In addition, the International Trade, Development and Logistics Zone established at the “Baku SME House” will provide a wide range of services related to customs procedures and import-export operations.
It was emphasized that SME Houses are one-stop centers where government and business services are provided to entrepreneurs in a centralized manner. Services are delivered based on the principles of efficiency, transparency, courtesy and convenience. Bringing business services together in one location, saving time and costs, and ensuring efficiency are among the main advantages of SME Houses.
To date, more than 170,000 services have been provided to entrepreneurs at the Khachmaz and Yevlakh SME Houses currently in operation. More than 165,000 of these were government-to-business (G2B) services, while nearly 9,000 were business-to-business (B2B) services. The satisfaction rate among entrepreneurs with SME House services stands at 98 percent.
It should be noted that increasing the role of entrepreneurship, particularly small and medium-sized businesses, in ensuring Azerbaijan’s sustainable economic development is one of the priority areas of the socio-economic policy implemented under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. As part of systematic measures aimed at developing the private sector, the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (KOBIA) was established under the Ministry of Economy by a presidential decree dated December 28, 2017.
KOBIA provides entrepreneurs with information, consulting, training and educational support, assistance in protecting their interests, improving access to markets and financial resources, coordinating relations with government and private organizations, as well as other forms of support and services.
These support measures and services are delivered through KOBIA’s extensive infrastructure network covering various cities and regions of the country, including SME Friends, SME Development Centers and SME Houses. SME Development Centers provide SMEs with free information, consulting, training and business-plan preparation services aimed at improving their business knowledge.
In the regions, the interests of SMEs and their access to necessary support and services are facilitated through the “SME Friend” network, which operates in 38 cities and districts across the country.
In addition, KOBIA issues a “Startup Certificate” to micro and small businesses, exempting them from profit and income tax for three years on income generated from innovation activities. The Agency also provides financial support for domestic market research, education, science, research and support projects, and helps entrepreneurs participate in exhibitions free of charge and gain access to retail networks.
