The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has identified two key areas that the Azerbaijani government should prioritize when implementing projects related to critical mineral resources, ADB Country Director for Azerbaijan Sunniya Durrani-Jamal said at the 2nd Azerbaijan International Investment Forum (AIIF 2026), according to Report.
“In Azerbaijan, we are seeing notable momentum across various areas. As for the extractive sector, it is encouraging to learn about the activity underway in Nakhchivan. It is clear that this can bring benefits in terms of creating new jobs, increasing employment and, hopefully, expanding production capacity. At the same time, work is progressing in the Alat Free Economic Zone, where I learned this morning that a data center project has been approved,” Durrani-Jamal said.
The ADB representative identified two fundamental components that the government should prioritize in advancing these initiatives: establishing a system of key performance indicators (KPIs) for preferential regimes and strengthening the research and development (R&D) sector.
“First, there is a need for transparent KPIs for all investments being made and tax incentives being provided, which is essential for objectively measuring the effectiveness of these economic policy instruments. Second is research and development (R&D). Particularly in the area of critical minerals, cooperation between government institutions, the emerging industry and the scientific and academic community will be crucial. I believe that the KPI system and this ‘triple helix” model will be decisive factors for the government in assessing the returns on public investment,” the ADB representative said.