BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 13. Fariz Jafarov, Executive Director of the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) under the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, took part in an online meeting dedicated to shaping national agendas within the framework of the World Economic Forum’s Network of Fourth Industrial Revolution Centers (WEF).
This was announced in a report published by C4IR.
According to the report, the meeting discussed the contribution of the centers within the network to the development of strategic initiatives at the national level, as well as successful experiences in this area.
Fariz Jafarov presented information on the “Strategy for the Development of the Digital Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2026–2029.” It was noted that the strategy aims to accelerate digital transformation in business, society, and the public sector, develop digital skills, and strengthen data-driven governance.
The strategy covers 9 priority areas and 50 initiatives.
The presentation covered the Industry 4.0 ecosystem established in Azerbaijan, support for the technological and “green” transformation of enterprises, the development of human capital, and the adoption of new technologies. It was noted that, as part of the strategy, the plan is to engage 300 enterprises in digital transformation programs by 2029, create 250 new industry-specific startups, provide access to digital markets for 200 SMEs, and involve 40,000 citizens in specialized training.
At the meeting, attended by the heads of 24 centers within the network, as well as Manju George, Head of Strategic Impact and Integration for the Centre for Frontier Technologies and Innovation, she shared her experience working with Fourth Industrial Revolution centers in Azerbaijan, Rwanda, and Malaysia. During the meeting, participants exchanged views on effectively contributing to the development of national programs, collaborating with stakeholders, successful approaches, and current challenges.
Meanwhile, Jafarov previously stated in an interview with Trend that one of C4IR’s main goals is to establish a link between global technology trends and Azerbaijan’s national priorities.
“Today, the main topic of discussion worldwide is no longer the existence of technologies per se, but rather the scale of their application, how they are managed, and how they are transformed into economic value. The application of artificial intelligence, big data analysis and decision-making based on it, a new phase of automation, and green technologies have become the main tools of global economic competition,” he said.
According to him, starting in 2026, C4IR’s priorities will be directly linked to the implementation of the digital economy development strategy.
“In this context, C4IR’s main priorities will be expanding the application of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, digital twins, and generative artificial intelligence, across various sectors of the national economy, particularly in industry and the business sector, as well as the implementation of technological transformation programs at enterprises and the establishment of data-driven decision-making mechanisms,” F. Jafarov noted.
He reported that, as part of the strategy, the plan by 2029 is to increase the number of enterprises participating in digital transformation programs to 300, the number of new startups to 250, provide 200 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) with access to digital markets, and also train
