AZE.US
Azerbaijan is preparing a new state program for 2027–2030 aimed at narrowing the economic gap between Baku and the country’s regions and reducing the flow of people moving to the capital in search of jobs.
Ruslan Atakishiyev, chairman of the Center for the Study of Economic Resources and a doctor of philosophy in economics, said the program will focus on more balanced social and economic development across the country.
According to Atakishiyev, disparities between the capital and the regions, as well as between cities and villages, have continued to widen. As a result, many residents prefer to move to major urban centers, particularly Baku, where employment opportunities and incomes are generally higher.
He said previous strategic roadmaps adopted in 2016 had produced a number of important economic initiatives. More recently, however, some of the most effective development projects have been implemented in the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions.
The creation of new jobs in those areas has encouraged some people to seek employment there rather than move to the capital.
Atakishiyev said the same model should be introduced in other parts of Azerbaijan. He called for greater industrialization in the regions, stronger cooperation between local businesses and the development of production and supply chains linking different districts.
Under such a system, raw materials could be produced in one region, processed in another and turned into finished goods at local enterprises. This would create jobs and give residents a stronger incentive to remain in or return to their home regions.
As an example, Atakishiyev pointed to the Dashkasan district, where the expansion of operations at the Chovdar gold mine has supported the growth of the mining industry, road repairs and the creation of new jobs.
He said people have begun returning to settlements that had previously experienced significant population decline. Some villages that were almost abandoned are now attracting both returning residents and workers from neighboring areas.
“People who once left these places are returning to their ancestral lands and finding work there. This model should also be applied in other regions affected by large-scale migration,” Atakishiyev said.
AZE.US