On December 8, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Adebayo Ogunlesi, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the global infrastructure investment management company “Global Infrastructure Partners” (GIP).
President Ilham Aliyev highly appreciated the partnership formed between the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ARDNF) and “Global Infrastructure Partners,” stating that the Fund's investments in the “Italo” high-speed rail operator and London Gatwick Airport, carried out jointly with the company, are examples of successful cooperation. Touching upon the country's long-term development strategy, the head of state emphasized the importance of partnership with “Global Infrastructure Partners” in this regard.
Adebayo Ogunlesi stated that cooperation with ARNF has yielded effective results, noting that the investments made by the company in the funds it manages have formed a reliable partnership model between the two entities.
The guest emphasized that the company has international experience in optimizing airports, logistics, and transport corridors, as well as in energy, including renewable energy, and expressed interest in cooperating with Azerbaijan in the fields of energy transition, transport, and digital infrastructure.
During the meeting, ideas were exchanged on projects implemented by the company in various infrastructure directions, new trends forming in the context of the global energy transition, and issues of cooperation in international initiatives for the application of artificial intelligence technologies were discussed.
It should be noted that “Global Infrastructure Partners,” established in 2006 and acquired in 2024 by “BlackRock,” the world's largest active management company, currently manages assets worth approximately 189 billion US dollars. “BlackRock,” in turn, maintains its leading position in the global investment market by managing assets worth close to 14 trillion US dollars.