The International Summit on Entrepreneurship and the final of ICESCO’s 2nd edition program for training young people in creating and developing small-scale technology and innovation projects kicked off on Sunday, 2 June 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The two events are organized by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and several other institutions, with a high-level presence of international leaders, entrepreneurs and experts in the field of technology, innovation and economics.

The opening session of the Summit and the Final commenced with a video address by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director General of ICESCO, who lauded the significance of the topics of the Summit, which tackle financial technology, digital media, tourism, food technology, agriculture, entertainment, gaming, space technology and green technology.

Dr. AlMalik pointed out the success of ICESCO’s program for training young people in creating and developing small-scale technology and innovation projects, due to the number of applicants from 20 countries. Dr. AlMalik added that ICESCO aims, through this program, to support the creation of more than 150 innovative start-ups by 2025, covering the 53 Member States, and to build the capacities of more than 500 entrepreneurs.

Dr. AlMalik ended his speech by thanking the jury and calling on the participants of the Program to be creative and inspirational when presenting their ideas and projects.

Moreover, Mr. Farid Jafarov, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Culture, expressed his delight at the opportunity to host the final of ICESCO’s 2nd edition program. Mr. Jafarov believed that this event is an opportunity to highlight the innovative spirit of young people in the Islamic world and to consolidate the strategic partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and ICESCO.

For his part, Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor in ICESCO’s Science and Environment Sector, stressed the creative spirit of youth and their contribution to developing innovative solutions to the challenges facing the world in general and the Islamic world in particular, thanks to their efforts to develop and acquire new skills. Dr. Sharif thanked the members of the jury for assessing the participants’ projects.

Following, the 33 teams that qualified for the final from Tajikistan, Senegal, Tunisia, Libya, Türkiye, Mali, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Egypt and Azerbaijan presented their projects to a jury of experts and specialists in entrepreneurship and technology. The jury will announce the three winning teams and award them the prizes.