Azerbaijan Invests in the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs: a second MINIBOSS franchise in Baku

Azerbaijan is expanding its investment in human capital, innovation and private enterprise. The second MINIBOSS BUSINESS SCHOOL branch in Baku opened at 134 Atatürk Avenue under the leadership of Narmina Hasanova extending the international network’s presence in Azerbaijan.

MINIBOSS BUSINESS SCHOOL offers an eight-level educational pathway developed by International Business Academy Consortium, headquartered in Glasgow, UK. Students study economics, financial literacy, leadership, marketing, innovation, teamwork and project management.

The programme combines classroom learning with practical experience. Students create their own start-ups, calculate budgets, develop products, research customers and present their projects at business forums and championships. These activities include the Startup Forum, Startup National Cup Championship and Startup World Cup Championship.

The country’s long-term economic success will depend not only on energy resources and infrastructure, but also on people capable of creating companies, technologies, products and jobs. Entrepreneurship education gives young people the practical skills required to turn knowledge and ideas into economic value.

Human Capital as a National Priority

The national programme “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development” identifies competitive human capital and modern innovation as central objectives. Approximately AZN 5.2 billion was allocated to education and science in Azerbaijan’s 2026 state budget.

The country is also strengthening support for young entrepreneurs. In 2024, young people represented 40% of participants in training, consultancy and business-plan services delivered by the Small and Medium Business Development Agency, KOBIA. They also accounted for more than 30% of recipients of start-up certificates and around 30% of relevant grant beneficiaries.

MINIBOSS Family Business Camp 2027 in Portugal

From 8 to 16 July 2027, Portugal will welcome entrepreneurial families from around the world for the MINIBOSS Family Business Camps 2027—an international educational programme where children, parents and business leaders learn, create and develop new ideas together.

The Camp will take place within the international programme of Global Business Week 2027 in Lisbon, Cascais and Estoril. It will combine entrepreneurship education, family development, startup activities, international networking and cultural discovery in one of Europe’s most attractive coastal regions.

Business Education for the Whole Family

Family businesses are built across generations. Their future depends on whether founders can transfer knowledge, values and responsibility—and whether children are prepared to become capable successors.

During the Camp, young participants will study the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, financial literacy, leadership, teamwork, marketing and project management. They will learn how ideas become products, how businesses create value and how responsible decisions influence the future of a company.

MBA: Why Executive Competence Matters

Economic growth depends not only on natural resources, capital and labour, but also on the competence of those who make decisions at the highest level. Ministers, senior civil servants, chief executives and directors of state-owned enterprises manage public budgets, infrastructure projects and international agreements whose effects may last for decades.

The World Bank estimates that around 400 million people work in the public sector worldwide. Yet many governments still provide insufficient professional training or offer courses that do not correspond to the real responsibilities of senior officials. Leadership development should therefore be viewed as an investment in institutional capacity rather than an administrative formality.

Why Executive Competence Matters

Public procurement represented approximately 13% of GDP and 30% of government expenditure across OECD countries in 2024. Even a small improvement in the management of these funds can produce substantial economic value. In an economy with a GDP of £200 billion, a one-percentage-point efficiency improvement in procurement equal to 13% of GDP would theoretically represent £260 million.