The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) President, H.E. Dr Fateh Boutbig, used an official visit to Azerbaijan to study the country’s rapid economic development and to reflect on the lessons it might hold for Africa.
Azerbaijan has worked to move beyond its long reliance on oil and gas towards green energy, technology, cybersecurity and healthcare. Citing the World Bank, the Parliament noted the country’s shift towards a greener economy, including plans to cut greenhouse-gas emissions and to expand renewable energy. African economies, which likewise depend heavily on commodities, were seen as having much to learn from such diversification.
During the visit, the delegation toured several landmarks in the capital, Baku. At the Heydar Aliyev Center, a cultural landmark designed by the architect Zaha Hadid, they saw the building that won the Design Museum’s Design of the Year award in 2014. In Surakhani, on Baku’s eastern edge, they visited the Ateshgah Fire Temple, a pentagonal complex built around a natural gas vent whose walls bear the marks of three religions.
From the visit, Dr Boutbig drew several lessons for the continent: diversifying beyond oil and gas, investing in renewable energy and technology, developing human capital, preserving cultural heritage, and building modern institutions that strengthen a country’s international image.
Read the original release on pap.au.int
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