(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 7
Trend:
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) is
going to support private sector development in Azerbaijan, focusing
on capacity development of SMEs in the sectors agriculture,
tourism, logistic and transport, GIZ told Trend.
GIZ noted that currently there are several projects being
implemented in the South Caucasus, including PSD TVET SC Programme
support to the Logistics and Transport, Sustainable Urban Mobility
in the SC (Mobility4Cities) Programme support to transport sector,
PSD TVET SC Programme support to Agricultural sector and ECOserve
Programme support ton Agricultural Sector.
Thus, Private Sector Development and Vocational Education and
Training programme in the South Caucasus (PSD TVET SC) commissioned
by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) supported Baku Transport Training and
Educational Center under the Ministry of Digital Development and
Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan with computer and video
equipment of two rooms for developing and organizing distance
learning training offers.
With these two rooms in the Transport Training and Educational
Center the private sector companies in Logistics and Transport will
have an opportunity to receive new training programs and
additionally able to participate in distant learning. The trainees
of Transport Training and Educational Center will be trained on
driving, features of work and rest regime, as well as on normative
legal acts regulating cargo transportation by road. These sessions
will help small and medium enterprises in Logistics and Transport
to qualify their expertise, learn on job and be competitive in the
field of their workm” the official noted.
The Transport Training and Educational Center is also involved
in special advanced training for drivers carrying out national and
international road haulage and passenger transport as well as in
public road transport.
“The Center provides services to improve transport efficiency
and safety besides Baku in four regional branches: Ganja; Shirvan;
Lankaran and Bilasuvar,” the GIZ official said.
In turn, the PSD TVET programme is funded by the German Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for the
period of 2017-2023. In Azerbaijan one of the PSD TVET SC programme
objectives is to improve conditions for sustainable economic growth
with a focus on employment impact and integration of vocational
education and training (VET) by introducing dual-like VET with
active engagement of the private sector into practical training of
students, by developing the new VET occupations, providing capacity
building to VET management and teaching staff, in-company
instructors, by equipping training facilities like the Transport
Training and Educational Center in Baku.
Furthermore, the regional program 'Sustainable Urban Mobility in
the South Caucasus' (Mobility4Cities), funded by the German Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and
implemented by GIZ, supports state and city administrations to
develop transport systems in the frame of a participatory,
sustainable and integrated urban mobility. Mobility4Cities has a
strong focus on supporting the Georgian cities Tbilisi and Batumi
in the further development of their urban mobility. Due to its
scope, the programme focuses on mobility in the cities, including
passenger transportation and does not provide comprehensive
technical assistance to Azerbaijan.
However, the official added, Mobility4Cities promotes regional
cooperation among South Caucasian countries and/or cities. In this
respect, the programme orients its contribution on the partners'
requests. The programme offers expertise from Germany and other
European countries aiming to provide knowledge and experiences on
citizen-oriented, climate friendly urban mobility. Mobility4Cities
offered participation in the following online events to the
Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Baku Transport Agency and Municipality of Sumgait:
- Introduction of Onboarding Materials for Transport planners and
disseminated the materials among the partners in paper and digital
in October 2021
- Workshop on Intelligent Transport Systems in September 2021.
This event was organized by Mobility4Cities in close cooperation
with the GIZ regional programme 'Good Governance for Local
Development'.
Transport and Climate Change Week (TCCW). This event was
organized by 'TRANSfer', a project implemented by GIZ and funded by
the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry
for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
'Covid-19 and Urban Mobility' in July 2021.This event was
organized by 'Connective Cities' - a cooperation project of the
Association of German Cities (Deutscher Städtetag) with GIZ and the
Service Agency Communities in One World of Engagement Global.
In turn, the PSD TVET programme in agricultural sector is
implementing interventions to improve the quality of advisory
services for MSMEs. Program closely worked with State Agrarian
Development Centers (DAIM) in Shamakhi, Salyan and Ismayilli,
procured necessary equipment for vine-growing as well as involved
local experts to build the capacities of selected DAIM advisors and
increase productivity of selected farmers by introducing
environmentally sustainable cultivation measures.
“Currently, program is also supporting selected vegetable
growers in Barda and Goranboy districts. Recently, in partnership
with Agrarian Innovation Center under Ministry of Agriculture GIZ
is designing a new program which is aimed at building capacities of
startups and entrepreneurs in agricultural sector. Team of local
and international experts will support the partner in launching
comprehensive training package which will help innovative
entrepreneurs and startups in transforming their business idea into
full-fledge product,” the official said.
Within the framework of ECOserve Programme, GIZ supports the
Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the
development of Agri-environmental Indicators' Monitoring System
(AEIMS). AEIMS is designed to evaluate trends of natural resource
use in agricultural production and the quality of ecosystem
services and to monitor the negative impact of agricultural
production on environment thus supporting the sustainability of
agriculture, the GIZ official added.
In the official's words, the web-based AEIMS covers six pilot
agri-environmental indicators: i) consumption of mineral
fertilizers; ii) consumption of pesticides, iii) irrigation, iv)
water abstraction in agriculture, v) water quality- contamination
(N, P), and vi) pasture degradation.
AEIMS allows to track the entire process associated with each
indicator, including physical data entry, processing and
transmission to stakeholders, reporting, verification and
monitoring of the accuracy of the tracking system related to
measurements, data quality, information exchange, visualization and
mapping of data by use of GIS tools.
The tracked indicator shall support the decision-making process
by users, based on the observed trends in physical changes of the
same indicator.
In addition, the official said, within the framework of ECOserve
Programme currently developing a GIS methodology under the title
“Demand Analysis of Water Resources for Sustainable Agriculture in
Azerbaijan”. This methodology is being developed for the first time
in Azerbaijan and is related to the analysis of irrigation needs of
agricultural areas. The main goal is to develop forecasts for
irrigation plans and to expand sustainable agriculture.
In order to deepen the theme of 'Green Recovery' in the South
Caucasus, as well as in Azerbaijan, and to attract a wider
audience, the ECOserve program organized an innovation competition
for Green Recovery in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Within this competition, 3 best ideas were selected and projects
have already started. These projects are as follows:
1 - Climate Independent Smart Agriculture
2 - Organization of digital access of farmers to professional
counseling centers
3 – Development of Smart Irrigation Systems
“In addition to that GIZ will continue to support various
activities in the field of improving Good Governance, Gender
Equality and Support to vulnerable groups. Furthermore, GIZ is
going to support private sector development in Azerbaijan, focusing
on capacity development of SMEs in the sectors agriculture,
tourism, logistic and transport,” the official added.
Introduction of dual-like approach to vocational education and
training (VET) in the target occupations in Logistics and transport
sector, based on the German dual system will continue to be a focus
of GIZ support to the partners in Azerbaijan with active engagement
of the private sector into practical training of students, support
in establishing coordination mechanism between VET schools and
employers, providing capacity building to VET management and
teaching staff, in-company instructors, the official concluded.
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