Afghanistan—Assistance in Building Afghanistan by Development Enterprise (ABADE)

ABADE worked to increase domestic and foreign investment, stimulate employment, and improve sales of Afghan products. By funding Afghan businesses with viable plans and matching funds, ABADE helped these businesses mitigate the financial risk inherent to investing, expanding, and innovating.

ABADE had three components: 1) awarding and managing grants to small and medium businesses and business alliances to support effective planning and innovative ideas, 2) providing technical assistance and business advice, and 3) improving the business-enabling environment. Working under a subcontract to IESC, DAI led the third component by addressing regulatory and procedural barriers, particularly those identified by our partner businesses and alliances.

Sample Activities

• Conduct assessments and analytical studies driven by the grant applicants.
• Assist relevant ministries by drafting policy memoranda and regulatory guidelines for specific industries.

Select Results

• Worked with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and private sector stakeholders to create action plans in six priority sectors, including marble product production, carpet production, gemstones and jewelry, construction materials production, and agribusiness.
• Helped design and develop a web-based information system for communicating with stakeholders and reporting on the status of action plan implementation. Developed a detailed Business Registration Guidebook and Business Registration Fact Sheet, printed in English, Dari, and Pashto, and held two sessions of a three-day training program for entrepreneurs, providing detailed instructions on the steps entrepreneurs need to take to comply with registration requirements for different types of enterprises.