Former Deputy Economy Minister Appointed as Business Ombudsman
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Febarury 9 appointed now-former First Deputy Minister of Economy, Otar Danelia, as Business Ombudsman.
The development comes after Natia Turnava was replaced by Levan Davitashvili, now-former Environmental Protection and Agriculture Minister, as the Economy Minister earlier in the day.
The post of Business Ombudsman had remained vacant since the departure of Mikheil Daushvili, who was elected to the Parliament in the October 2020 parliamentary polls. Deputy Business Ombudsman Nino Kvenetadze had acted in his stead up until today.
The Georgian Government’s press service reported that the Prime Minister instructed the newly appointed Business Ombudsman to openly cooperate with businesses, simplify their access to public services, create fewer barriers and minimize bureaucracy for the private sector.
Danelia served as the First Deputy Minister of Economy since August 2021. Prior to that, he held the post of the Chair of the National Agency of Mines. In 2016-2020 he was a GD MP and the Chair of Agrarian Issues Committee and in 2014-2016 he served as the Minister of Agriculutre (now defunct).
He is a graduate of the Faculty of International Relations and Diplomacy at Tbilisi State University, holds an MBA from the European School of Management (ESM) in Georgia and a Master’s in Management Analytics from the Cambridge International College.
The Business Ombudsman’s Office was set up eight years ago upon the Georgian Government’s initiative. The Georgian Prime Minister appoints a candidate to the post with the consent of the Parliament Speaker.
The Business Ombudsman is an independent institution that oversees and promotes the protection of entrepreneurial rights in the country.
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