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Reducing poverty by promoting economic growth
The primary goal of USAID/Afghanistan’s Economic Growth program is to promote a thriving economy led by the private sector, as stable political and economic conditions prevent terrorism from flourishing in fragile or failing states. In order to improve economic policy and the business environment, USAID aims to continue to promote macroeconomic reform, revenue collection, and privatization of state-owned enterprises. To continue to assist in the improvement of private sector competitiveness, USAID will continue to develop industrial business parks, assist Afghan firms to compete in the global market, and support SMEs.
13 February 2012 | Nangarhar, Afghanistan
As is common throughout Afghanistan, the city of Jalalabad does not have an updated urban plan, and until USAID/AESP/Tetra Tech Local...
6 December 2011 | Nangarhar, Afghanistan
With the USAID grant, the firm was finally able to meet the volume of orders they required.
13 December 2011 | Laghman, Afghanistan
Fish producer associations in Nangarhar and Laghman provinces and fish farmers from other parts of Afghanistan have purchased at least 70,000 fingerlings from the hatchery.
28 December 2011 | Hirat, Afghanistan
By supporting associations, USAID is enabling them to become advocates for the private-sector and render effective services to members and the community.
3 December 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
Motivated. Dedicated. Determined to make a difference in the government of Afghanistan. These are just a USAID/EGGI “I want to bring...
4 November 2011 | Panjshir, Afghanistan
With USAID assistance, local government learns how to help farmers market local produce.
15 March 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
USAID/Afghanistan Brainstorming group during Economic Trade and Press Club meeting. Twenty-nine Afghan journalists attended the Second Trade and Economic Press Club Meeting...
15 March 2011 | Islamabad, Pakistan
USAID/TAFA APTTCA delegation leaders. From February 11 through 12, the Afghanistan Pakistan Transit Trade Coordinating Authority (APTTCA) held its first meeting in...
20 February 2011 | Takhar Province, Afghanistan
Mayor of Takhar Province gives information to the media about Takhar Grain Market. On January 20, provincial, district, and local officials from Takhar Province...
3 February 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
To modernize the customs facilities at Kabul International Airport, all goods that had amassed over the last year in the customs area, have been removed...
15 October 2010 | Kabul, Afghanistan
USAID’s Trade Accession and Facilitation for Afghanistan project recently completed its nationwide Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey on trade and customs. The KAP survey...
Afghanistan is a country rich in minerals and natural resources, including copper, iron ore, coal, and natural gas. Situated near some of the largest and...
20 December 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
An employee of DAI, a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contractor, was arrested December 18 on bribery charges, U.S. officials reported. The action came...
11 December 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
Members of the Women’s Land Rights Task Force held its inaugural session this morning. Chartered to identify customary, religious, legal, and regulatory constraints affecting land...
30 November 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
USAID has signed innovation grants with three major Afghan mobile network operators: Etisalat, MTN, and USAID/Jeremy Maurer USAID Deputy Mission...
27 November 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
USAID/Jeremy Maurer Acting Minister of Urban Development Sultan Husein Hesari listens as USAID Deputy Mission Director Jed Barton delivers remarks at the land reform...
25 October 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
Afghans are one step closer to enjoying officially recognized, legally enforceable property rights that will Jeremy Maurer/USAID USAID Deputy Mission Director Jed...
24 August 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
Barat Ali Batoor/US Embassy USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah and Afghanistan’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amirzai Sangin test a mobile money application...
6 August 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
USAID Construction of the Bibi Sarwary Park recently began under the auspices of the Kabul Municipality. The park, which will be...
31 July 2011 | Hirat, Afghanistan
Ryan Fong/USAID Workers process raw cashmere. Afghanistan’s first cashmere de-hairing facility, inaugurated yesterday in Hirat, will significantly boost future Afghan cashmere exports....
28 June 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
Robert Sauers/USAID USAID Deputy Mission Director Brooke Isham delivers remarks during a ceremony at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry where two private investors...
8 June 2011 | Kabul, Afghanistan
Today, U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry announced a new USAID project which will aid in the reform and build upon the improvements of Afghanistan’s land...
BACKGROUND
Poverty is widespread and deeply entrenched in Afghanistan. In some provinces, the poverty rate is more than 60 percent. From 2003 to 2007, economic growth was more than 10 percent, but fell with the economic slowdown in 2008 to 3.4 percent. Real GDP growth has since recovered to 20.4 percent during 2009-10 and 8.4 percent last year. The high poverty rate, poor security, and uneven growth rate challenge Afghans to double their efforts to establish an economy that encourages the trade and investment required to generate jobs. USAID’s economic growth program helps the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) develop sound economic governance and works with the private sector to stimulate investment and business opportunities. USAID partners with Afghans and GIRoA to attract investment, generate sustainable employment, and expand market linkages.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
DEVELOPING THE PRIVATE SECTOR
USAID support for building Afghanistan’s licit economy focuses on improving private sector productivity and the business environment to attract private-sector investment. USAID supported the development of industrial parks in Kabul and Mazar-i Sharif, and provides a wide range of business development services to encourage the establishment and growth of small and medium enterprises including management skills training, market information, and public-private alliance grants. To date, USAID has launched 50 public-private partnerships leveraging more than $95 million from private sector-partners in insurance, natural resource extraction, communications/media, apparel, information technology, and food processing.
STRENGTHENING BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS
USAID support for business associations resulted in establishing Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry offices in Kandahar, Mazar-i Sharif, Hirat, Kunduz, and Jalalabad, and building the capacity of provincial and local business associations. USAID helped establish 125 business associations (including 27 women-owned) and supported more than 250 associations with grants for equipment, capacity building, and improving member services.
TRADE AND INVESTMENT
USAID helps GIRoA and the private-sector maximize regional and global trade linkages and export-oriented business development through assistance in three categories: trade policy liberalization and World Trade Organization (WTO) accession, trade facilitation and customs reform, and public outreach on trade-related issues. USAID helped GIRoA negotiate the Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade and Transit Agreement, advised on the ratification of the South Asia Free Trade Agreement, and supported the successful initiation of the WTO accession process. USAID is now supporting implementation of these agreements, including significant reforms to promote transparency, reduce trade barriers, and increase customs revenue.
ECONOMIC REFORMS TO ENHANCE COMPETITIVENESS
USAID helps to strengthen institutional capacity, promote transparency, and establish a sustainable financial sector. Improvements to the business-enabling environment have resulted in more than $1.5 billion in telecom investment and created more than 100,000 jobs since 2003. Looking forward, USAID will focus on growth sectors such as mining, which have significant investment and employment opportunities.
LAND MANAGEMENT
Property rights are a complex issue for all Afghans, but especially for the millions moving into informal settlements around municipalities after decades of conflict. USAID is helping the Afghan Land Authority (Arazi) ensure the clear transfer and documentation of land ownership for Afghan citizens in informal settlements. Program activities also supported the National Land Law, approved in 2008; helped to streamline land registry offices in 21 provinces, and established a land survey/mapping curriculum at the Kabul Polytechnic University. Cooperation with the Supreme Court streamlined the registration of immovable property from 34 steps to just three for urban land, and four for rural land.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
USAID expands access to financial services by supporting the development of a sustainable and inclusive financial sector that serves the needs of micro, small, and medium enterprises throughout the country, with a special focus on the agricultural sector and the southern and eastern regions. By May 2011, USAID-funded credit unions disbursed more than 35,000 loans (14 percent to women) in 14 provinces, totaling $30.8 million, and created more than 52,000 jobs. USAID is encouraging the growth of mobile money as an innovative foundational investment to promote financial inclusion through technology.
MININGAfghanistan is blessed with a rich base of natural resources, which, if exploited in a way that meets international standards, dramatically could improve equitable growth and increase government revenues. USAID-funded research, undertaken by the United States Geology Survey in partnership with the Ministry of Mines, has resulted in the identification of significant deposits of industrial and precious minerals across Afghanistan with a total estimated value exceeding $900 billion. USAID has supported the gemstone sector through training in stone-cutting and polishing. Assistance to the marble sector has resulted in the establishment of a sustainable marble association, three international marble conferences that took place in Afghanistan, introduction of modern marble quarrying techniques, and facilitation of marble exports exceeding $24 million annually.
Fact Sheet Economic Growth Sector Jun 2011
Fact Sheet Economic Growth Sector June 2011 Dari
Fact Sheet Economic Growth Sector June 2011 Pashto
Economic Growth by Province Dec 2010
Afghan Growth Finance (AGF)
Afghan New Beginning Program
Afghanistan Credit Support Program (ACSP)
Afghanistan National Innovation and Competitiveness Program
Afghanistan Renewal Fund
Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development (ASMED)
Afghanistan Workforce Development Program (AWDP)
Agriculture, Rural Investment, and Enterprise Strengthening (ARIES)
Aid Management and Coordination and Public Information
Air Traffic Controllers Training to the Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation (MoCAT) (Phase II)
Arazi (Afghan Land Authority) via MAIL (Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock) On-Budget Component
Building Livelihoods and Trade by Turquoise Mountain Foundation (TMF)
Economic Governance & Private Sector Strengthening (EGPSS)
Economic Governance in Afghanistan
Economic Growth and Governance Initiative (EGGI)
E-Governance Resource Center (EGRC)
English and Computer Basic Training for Afghanistan Geology Survey (AGS)
Establishment of National Payment System
Financial Access for Investing in the Development of Afghanistan (FAIDA)
Industrial Estates Development
Land Reform in Afghanistan (LARA)
Land Titling and Economic Restructuring Activity (LTERA)
Promoting Sustainable Private Sector Development
Provision of Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Finance/Treasury
Rural Finance and Cooperative Development (RUFCOD)
Strengthening Private Sector through Capacity Building
Trade and Accession Facilitation for Afghanistan (TAFA)
Women Enterprise Development (WED)
Photo: USAID
Midamar CEO Bill Aossey (right) meets with mulberry farmers and Noor Akbara (right), Project Coordinator, Horticulture and Livestock Project, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock. The mulberry grove was one of several places that Aossey visited during his one week visit to Afghanistan where he investigated potential trade and investment opportunities in Panjsher and Bamyan provinces.
Photo: USAID/TAFA
Clearing of the customs site at Kabul International Airport.
Photo: USAID/ASMED
The company owner Ezatullah Qaderi explaining its products to entrepreneurs.
Photo: USAID/EGGI
New managers at the Herat Medium Taxpayer Office display their certificates after completing a USAID-funded management training course.
Photo: Photo Courtesy of CADG
USAID representatives meet a shop owner in the revitalized bazaar along the new Chutu Road. New markets are springing up before the project is even completed.
Photo: Henk Boneschans, International Relief and Development
Working with the Afghan Government, USAID’s Strategic Provincial Roads project rehabilitates rural roads across southern and eastern Afghanistan. These development projects provide job skills to people like Amin and make a positive impact for the community.
An employee at the Paiman Atlas Group carpet facility in Kabul uses some of the new equipment to process Afghan carpets for export.
Photo: USAID/Afghanistan
U.S. Deputy Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne visits Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherket (DABS) to discuss the U.S. government's more than $40 million investment to increase Afghans' access to electricity.
Photo: USAID/Afghanistan,Ash Sweeting
Amin is showing his newly soap making skills by mixing plant oil and caustic lye together. He acquired these skills through intensive vocational training on the fundamentals of soap making, which were provided as a result of USAID's community-based small grant toward a soap making factory for the Wazir community in Nangarhar Province in Eastern Afghanistan. Once USAID-supported road construction efforts are completed in the region, the road and the soap making factory will have a positive impact on the well-being of the Wazir community.
Photo: USAID/Louisa Bargeron
U.S. Ambassador Karl W. Eikenberry and Minister of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Anwarul Haq Ahadi talk to participants at the Accelerating Afghanistan Business Growth Conference.
Photo: USAID/ASAP
A revoluntion in Afghan Cashmere
Photo: USAID/ASGP Kabul Staff
Thirty vulnerable women are learning skills in jewelry making and hope to develop their association into a sustainable cooperative.
Sample distribution for the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices survey on trade and customs.
Photo: Ian Wagreich/© U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani speaks at the Afghanistan Investment Forum.
A textile manufacturer at Bagrami Industrial Park.
Newly hired interns participate in a two-day orientation session.
Graduation ceremony at the Gemstone Training Center in Jalalabad, Nangarhar Province.
The DAB Head of Payments discusses the live operations of the Clearinghouse.
Participants learn about trade issues at the Conference on National Youth Policy.
Kabul Mayor Mohammed Younus Nawandish and U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry cut the ribbon to re-open the Foroshgah-E-Borzorg Shopping Center in Kabul.
A truck loaded with Afghan goods prepares for travel at the Kabul Inland Customs Depot. Under APTTA, trucks will use electronic tracking devices.
GIRoA Budgetary Unit staff receive training in program budgeting, Kabul.
Photo: USAID/SPR-SEA
Women in eastern Afghanistan like Musharaba are now enjoying newfound confidence and skills in carpet weaving and literacy thanks to USAID.
Photo: USAID/IRP
Cartons of eggs stand in the front of Abdul Naser’s market stall in Kishim, Badakhshan Province.
Photo: USAID/IRD/SPR-SEA
Mapari from Lokhai, Nangarhar, can now provide for her children and send them to school as a result of SPR community grants.
Photo: USAID/CADG
Tirin Kot’s residents are pleased to have new concrete drains and sidewalks.
Photo: USAID/IDEA-NEW
Muhammad Rahim Karimzai holds a press conference after being elected as the first Talc Association Director.
A woman places peppers out to dry.
A trainer instructs staff of the SherKhan Bandar border branch on how to use CBS reports.
Students graduate from the ASMED business internship program.
Provincial Council member Mahbobullah Mahbob cuts the ribbon to inaugurate the Kunduz Gemstone Training Center.
Potential customers admire Afghan carpets at the Domotex Middle East Trade Show.
Photo: USAID/RUFCOD
The Aqcha Islamic Investment and Finance Cooperative celebrates its third anniversary.
Participants of the Baseline Assessment Survey of Women and Young Entrepreneurs workshop in Kabul.
A Da Afghanistan Bank teller prints a CBS-issued voucher following a client transaction.
EGGI principal advisors lecture during the Introduction to the Economy of Afghanistan training session.
Children in Baghlan line up to receive their One Laptop per Child computers. Equipped with Internet connectivity, educational software, and a small business tutorial and market information toolkit provided in Dari and Pashto by USAID, the laptops are a valuable tool for the entire family.
Journalists practice interview techniques with a trader at the Kabul Customs House.
The Afghan Artist and Artisan Exhibition in Hirat led to sales of more than $60,000.
Carpet traders examine goods at the opening of the Jalalabad Carpet Bazaar.
Representatives from Arcan Stone exhibit some of their products at the Afghanistan International Marble Conference.
Photo: Azizullah Karimi/IDEA-NEW
The Behsud District Textile Factory provides washing, pressing, and dyeing services to small and medium-sized textile weaving enterprises.
Students at a middle school in Kandahar received laptops through the One Laptop Per Child Afghanistan initiative. The computers provide students and their families with access to word processing, the Internet, job information, and resources for small business and farm development.
Case preparation at the new Taxpayer Service Center in Hirat.
Students take the internship program entrance examination in Qalat, Zabul province.
Aziz Ahmad interns at Roshan Telecommunications. Roshan provides mobile phone service throughout Afghanistan – and on-the-job training to talented students like Aziz.
A woman entrepreneur receives her business development course certificate of completion.
Customers admire Afghan carpets at Domotex 2010 in Hannover, Germany.
AWBF members display their products at the annual Opportunities for Women Business Conference in Jalalabad.
Photo: USAID/WOCCU
A farmer in Dand prepares his greenhouse for winter planting.
Students at Nangarhar Medical School work in the new computer lab, which was refurbished and equipped with Internet access by a unique partnership between USAID, NATO, the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club, Nangarhar University, and other Afghan partners.
The newly refurbished lab at Nangarhar University’s School of Computer Science.
Afghan carpet makers enjoying their time at Domotex 2010.
USAID-supported, Sharia-compliant financing helped Sayed Mahmmad purchase a cane juice machine and expand his business.
Sayed Mahmmad and his brother prepare their produce for sale.
Afghan textiles and handicrafts generated significant interest from Russian buyers.
Among other products, the trade fair featured high-quality Afghan carpets.
An Afghan entrepreneur displays his fresh fruit at the trade fair in Moscow.
Shura leaders and community members attend an IIFC orientation in Samangan province.
Newly constructed stalls in Almar Market in Faryab.
Afghanistan Carpet Booth from Domotex 2009.
The Insurance Company of Afghanistan’s web portal, www.icaaf.com.
Afghan students now have the opportunity to learn using computers and the Internet thanks to USAID, the One Laptop per Child Foundation, the Afghan Government, and private sector partners.
Afghan products on display at the Moscow Fair of Afghanistan Products.
Photo: USAID/LGCD
Afghan officials, international donors, and community leaders celebrate the launch of the Nangarhar Industrial Park construction.
Photo: Turquoise Mountain
Students hone their pottery skills at Turquoise Mountain’s Institute for Afghan Arts and Architecture.
A student at Turquoise Mountain’s Institute for Afghan Arts and Architecture practices calligraphy.
Packing wool at the Ikhlas Wool Spinning Company.
Photo: USAID/PRT-Panjsher
This fruit juice, made from Panjsher Province’s fresh fruits and vegetables, is selling well at local markets and fairs.
Women trainees are proud to learn how to make jam and juice while earning an income to support their families.
Ambassador Wayne, USAID Mission Director Frej, and Minister of Commerce and Industry Shahrani inaugurate the Hirat ACBR.
Photo: USAID/LTERA
Mrs. Semeen, a longtime resident of District # 7 in Kabul City sits on the community council and is the Director of the Women’s Center: “Because of this USAID program, people are hopeful and satisfied that this community will become a formal part of the city.”
Haji Nabi of Zinnat Carpet accepts the award for Best Modern Design at Domotex Hanover.
The Nangarhar Seed Producer and Wholesaler Association’s new seed storage facility in Jalalabad.
Afghanistan contains sizable deposits of gemstones, including emeralds.
The agreement with the Ministry of Mines was announced at a Nuristani Gemstone Association general assembly meeting.
The director of the Cotton Seller’s Association cuts the ribbon at the Cotton Pressing and Recycling Factory’s inaugural event.
Box factory employees make cardboard sheets during the box-production process.
Photo: U.S. Embassy/Kabul
From left to right, Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne, Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul; Khan Jan Alekozay, Deputy Chairman of ACCI; Afghan Minister of Commerce and Industry Wahidullah Shahrani; William M. Frej, Mission Director for USAID Afghanistan; and Balkh Governor Atta Mohammad Noor cut the ribbon on the new Mazari Sharif branch of the Afghanistan Central Business Registry.
The Afghan delegation at the Tajikistan Development Exposition.
Photo: USAID/Deloitte MCIT
Mobile phone tower in Chamkani.
Equipment used for potato chip production at A Sail Food Products.
Photo: USAID/World Council of Credit Unions
A team of volleyball players that received assistance from the Samangan IIFC.
Photo: AED/Fiona Shukri
Participants demonstrate a mobile banking funds transfer as Central Bank Governor Abdul Qadeer Fitrat observes.
Photo: Tolo TV
A Dream and Achieve contestant.
The computerized business registration system in use at the Jalalabad branch of the Afghanistan Central Business Registry.
Photo: USAID/ARIES
An IIFC member receives medical services.
Former Deputy Mission Director Chuck Drilling hands a laptop to an Afghan student.
Photo: USAID/Katya Sienkiewicz
Dr. Jalil Shams, Minister of Economy (left); Prince Mostapha Zaher, General Director of the National Environmental Protection Agency (center); and Dr. Omar Zakhilwal, Minister of Finance (right) exchange the CAWSS transfer memorandum.
Photo: USAID/Sarah Siegel
Nangarhar Beekeepers Association Manager Manzoor Ahmad proudly displays honey processed in Afghanistan.
Photo: USAID/Amy Koler
Women entrepreneurs enjoyed brisk sales at the AWBF Spring Expo.
Gemologists learn to identify real and synthetic gemstones.
The Afghan Craft Cut and Wash Facility allows all steps of the carpet weaving process to occur in Afghanistan.
New women members of the Nangarhar Islamic Investment and Finance Cooperative.
Photo: USAID/BearingPoint/MCIT
Dignitaries including Minister of Communications and Information Technology Sangin (cutting the ribbon) and the Governor of Takhar presided over the inauguration of the new center.
At a job fair held at the Afghanistan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI), graduating students complete employment applications. ATVI prepares its students for employment in key sectors including horticulture, construction, information and communications technology (ICT), and vehicle maintenance.
At the Mazari Sharif International AgFair, an Afghan woman demonstrates her carpet weaving skills. USAID supports carpet weaving training and carpet branding programs to help women carpet weavers improve their craft and sales opportunities.
The Afghan Marble Conference attracted 120 producers, association members, government officials, and diplomats.
A new traffic circle in Farah City.
USAID conducts many types of vocational training – such as courses in vehicle maintenance, masonry, and carpentry – to provide Afghan citizens with the skills needed to obtain stable jobs. These men are now equipped to work as car mechanics.
Photo: USAID/ADP/E
A young man learns how to run a tailoring business as part of an apprenticeship program for day laborers in Jalalabad.
Photo: Elaine Eliah USAID/ADPNW
Nazo, one of the top tailors at the garment production center, loves designing women’s clothing and can reproduce designs pictured in magazines.
Aimal, a student in the BBA program, conducts research for his marketing class.
During the filming of Dream and Achieve, contestants present their business plans to a panel of judges.
Buyer’s representative signs documents to privatize Hayratan Technical Services.
The Afghan Women’s Business Federation’s first annual conference was held on February 25, 2009.
IIFC clients purchasing tractor plows for their fields in Kandahar.
Afghan delegation at Domotex 2009.
Trainees receive wool, nylon, and looms to start their own textile businesses.
An intern graduates from USAID’s program at Kabul University.
Reporters from Tolo TV filming a documentary on how to use the new directory.
Afghan Central Business Registry, small and medium enterprises
A carpet in process as part of a carpet weaving and business skills training in Baghlan province.
Students learned new mapping and information management skills.
Workers producing salt at the Omid Kabul Company. The new loan will create new jobs and expand their services across thecountry.
Women's associations displayed their products at the International Carpet Fair.
Photo: AUAF/Afghanistan
Ribbon cutting ceremony at The American University of Afghanistan's Bernice Nachman Marlowe Library.
Officials at the Grand Opening Ceremony for the Kunar Islamic Investment and Finance Cooperative (IIFC).
The Takhan Women’s Handicrafts Skills Association displaying their products.
Fourteen community leaders discussed their role in the development of Uruzgan province.
A construction worker at the Sabawoon Feed Mill.
Dr. Jatinder Cheema congratulates a graduate of the Afghan Vocational Training Institute on May 15, 2008.
Afghan entrepreneurs open new shops with the help of FINCA loans.
Work commences on an industrial park.
The UN World Food Programme helps Kabul residents.
Religious leaders sign letters confirming that financial services are legitimate and Sharia compliant.
Photo: USAID/ADP-E/DAI
Training at the Kunar Directorate of Agriculture for new text message system distribution market price information.
23,000 chicks hatched in December, laying the foundation for a poultry industry revival in eastern Afghanistan.
Photo: USAID/Bearing Point
Border facility in December 2005
Border Facility in December, 2007
Photo: USAID/ARIES/AED
The Surat Zadah Flour Mill in Balkh province will generate 160 employment opportunities due to a $500,000 loan from the USAID-assisted Afghanistan Rural Finance Center
Photo: USAID/LTERA/Emerging Markets Group
A customer with a copy of his digitized title deed.
Photo: USAID/ASMED/DAI
Afghan traders generated more than $5.2 million in export deals at the Domotex Carpet Trade show recently held in Germany.
Afghan carpets displayed at trade show in Las Vegas
Packing pomegranates in Kandahar
Domotex carpet trade show, Hanover, Germany.
Photo: Matt Herrick
You see my own equipment, except the new loom, is over 30 years old. If I weave a patu for the market, I will do it all in one day. But if I make a patu for the village, for a wedding or celebration, then two days. It is a beautiful gift for the wedding. They know what I do here, because I always weave the patu. Ask if I am good? -Aliachmad, 70- years-old, works behind his patu loom in the hills of the Shamali Plains.
Photo: USAID/Jennifer Lindsey
"Thank you to everybody who helped to build our road. It is very good. What used to take one hour to drive, now takes only 10 minutes. Before, it was so bumpy and dusty. And we used to travel at 30 km/hour, at most. Now we can go up to 110 km. /hour. This is very good for my business.” - Noor Rahman, Taxi Driver, Wardak Province
Photo: Photo: Alejandro Chicheri
Afghan women prepare flatbreads at a bakery.
Photo: Jeremy Foster RAMP/Afghanistan
Noria Sedequi supervises 25 women working in the Vegetable Dehydrates Factory.
Photo: Kim Kim Yee: USAID/Afghanistan
Members of the silkworm production display their silk-embroidered products.
Widows in Adraskan, Herat voted to form an association to produce and market traditional wool carpets in a USAID funded project.
An Afghan farmer works in the olive fields of Nangarhar.
Technical assistance in the telecom sector led to $1.5 billion in investment, creating 100,000 jobs
Credit unions disbursed more than 35,000 loans, totaling $30.8 million, and created more than 52,000 jobs
Afghan government revenues increased 31 percent to $1.7 billion from March 2010 to March 2011
Research has identified significant deposits of industrial and precious minierals across Afghanistan with a total estimated value exceeding $900 billion
(Data as of June 2011)
Last updated22 Feb 2012
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