Access to Finance – Essential for Job Creation and Diversified Growth in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has traveled a long way since independence twenty years ago. In the past decade alone the economy has grown five times, thanks in great part to a wealth of oil-based revenue. With steady growth, more and more people have gained employment and overall living standards have risen, especially in the capital city of Baku. However, Azerbaijan now faces some new challenges as the income generated from oil exports is decreasing and the fallout from Russia’s economic downturn damages Azerbaijan’s immediate growth prospects.