About this user
The United States Agency for International Developments (USAID) Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development (ASMED) pro-ject is a five-year development assistance program that seeks to create economic growth through the improvement of private sector productiv-ity.
ASMED focuses on five main economic development activities in order to strengthen economic growth led by a thriving, licit Afghan private sector:
•Gathering, analyzing and disseminating market information;
•Developing dynamic Business Development Services (BDS) providers;
•Strengthening and increasing the numbers of business
associations;
•Creating public-private sector alliances; and
•Building the capacity of an Afghan private sector
workforce.
Without limiting options for intervention, we have evolved to target these components within several key economic sectors that have the potential to lead the way in developing Afghanistans economy: Car-pets, Wool and Cashmere, Agribusiness, Marble, Gemstones, and Handicrafts.
To date, ASMED has achieved important successes within each of these components and sectors. Together with business associations, leading SMEs, BDS firms, and government agencies, ASMED has dis-seminated market information and created market linkages, opportuni-ties for increased trade and investment through attendance at domestic and international trade shows. Other impactful interventions include the strengthening of business service providers and the transformation of business associations like the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and In-dustry into effective private sector advocates for business environment reforms. Public-private partnerships, or Global Development Alliances, have leveraged USAID program funding against private sector and other non-governmental resources in a variety of different projects, like the Dream and Achieve entrepreneurial television show and in the creation of Afghanistans first private insurance company, the Insurance Corporation of Afghanistan. Recognizing the importance of human capacity development, ASMED also implements results-oriented in-ternship and mentorship programs in every region in which we work. ASMED is proud of these accomplishments and looks forward to future successes.
Age
35
Country
Afghanistan
ASMEDInfo
uploaded
