The Asian Development Bank (ADB) plans to raise its annual financing for the private sector to roughly $13 billion by 2030, the bank’s Azerbaijan Country Director Sunniya Durrani-Jamal said at a German-Azerbaijani strategic partnership conference in Baku.
Speaking at the event, Sunniya Durrani-Jamal said the Asian Development Bank is placing growing emphasis on private-sector development in Azerbaijan as part of efforts to diversify the economy, decarbonise various industries and attract private capital. She noted that while the ADB has long been known as a financing source for state institutions, it is now shifting focus to the private sector, since research shows this segment plays a key role in mobilising capital.
According to the ADB official, most capital is concentrated in the private sector, which is also where the bulk of technological development takes place. She added that the private sector offers greater potential for improving efficiency and delivering measurable results.
Durrani-Jamal said partnership with private-sector players is central to meeting the bank’s target, and that the ADB uses a range of financial instruments for infrastructure and connectivity projects. Alongside loans and equity financing, she said the bank applies A/B loan structures, parallel financing, guarantees and risk-transfer mechanisms.
These tools, she explained, help attract private capital into sectors such as infrastructure, connectivity and renewable energy, which require long-term investment.
Focus of the conference
The “German-Azerbaijani Strategic Partnership and Connectivity” conference in Baku was organised by the German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Foreign Trade (AHK Azerbaijan). The event brought together representatives of government bodies, business circles and international financial institutions from both Germany and Azerbaijan.
The conference focused on mobilising financing for infrastructure, transport, logistics, green energy and digitalisation along the Middle Corridor. The programme also included panel discussions and B2G round tables on the development of the Middle Corridor, attracting investment, green energy, public-private partnerships, digital transformation and cybersecurity.
