PASHA Bank and Junior Achievement Azerbaijan to Support Youth Enterprise Development in Baku and Guba

02 May 2013, 'Four Seasons Hotel', Room 'Rast', 14.00 - PASHA Bank and Junior Achievement Azerbaijan host the event dedicated to the completion of the 'Sustainable Enterprise Development Program.' The program supported youth SME development in Baku and Guba through capacity-building activities, business trainings and enabling business environment. All media agencies are invited to attend the event.

Started in April 2012 the Sustainable Enterprise Development Program benefited more than 60 participants, who are involved or plan to be involved in small and medium entrepreneurship. The program participants were selected through an open application process that factored in the applicants' enterprise experience, and projected action plan upon the program graduation. Junior Achievement Azerbaijan assisted participants in forming enterprises and supported them through business trainings and regular consultancies. Additionally, the program conducted monthly public awareness campaigns to raise the participants' financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills. 

Junior Achievement Azerbaijan also linked the program participants with business advisers who assisted in  transition from a 'paper model' of the business plan to a real entrepreneurial activity. Business meetings gave the participants the opportunity to discuss challenges they have faced while starting up their affairs, explore distribution and sales channels, study requirements of the consumer market, and explore innovative solutions applied in commercial activity.

At the event the program participants will exhibit their businesses and make presentation on products and services that will improve the quality of their lives and will give them financial sustainability. The jury panel consisting of business representatives will evaluate the proposed ideas according to their feasibility, sustainability, innovativeness and team's presentation skills. The event will be concluded with an awards ceremony when the best three enterprises will receive in-cash awards from PASHA Bank.

PASHA Bank is a leading corporate bank in Azerbaijan. Established in 2007, it provides a range of corporate banking services including: loans, securities, asset management, and treasury services. PASHA Bank employs circa 207 people across its head office and four branches and was declared "The Best Investment Bank of Azerbaijan" by the Europe Banking Awards 2011 and Europe Banking Awards 2012.

PASHA Bank is a part of PASHA Group, a major investment holding group in Azerbaijan, which also includes significant assets in insurance, property development, production of construction materials, tourism and other businesses. Kapital Bank, one of the largest retail banks in Azerbaijan,is also owned by PASHA Group.

Junior Achievement Azerbaijan (JAA) is the local representative of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, the world's largest not-for-profit organization in business education. Junior Achievement mission is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. Since its founding in 1919, JA has contributed to the business and economics education of young people throughout the world. JA now operates through local representatives in 119 countries worldwide. In Azerbaijan Junior Achievement started in 1998 and since then JA Azerbaijan trained thousands of students and more than 300 teachers from 260 schools in 26 regions through the funding from the public and private donors.-15D--