At least 400 Afghan women graduated today from an internship program aimed at providing Afghanistan with a pool of educated women ready to join the government workforce. The women were participants in USAID’s Promote: Women in Government (WIG) project. WIG supports the Government of Afghanistan’s goal of increasing women’s participation in government to 30 percent by 2020, a 7.5 percent increase from the 2017 level per Afghanistan’s Central Statistics Office.
In the early hours of March 26, an attack in Baghlan Province damaged two power transmission towers that supply imported electricity from Uzbekistan to Kabul and four other provinces. The attack briefly shut off over 300 MW of electricity—the bulk of the city’s power needs. The Government of Afghanistan responded quickly, using USAID-funded resources and training to reduce the impact of the disruption to residents and businesses in Kabul.
Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it has donated $25 million to the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP’s) Afghanistan Protractive Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) to provide cash-based and food assistance to nearly 1.7 million Afghans—mostly women and children—affected by conflict, natural disasters, and seasonal hunger.
Afghan traders have inked US$20.5 million in signed and potential deals for high-value agricultural products due to their participation in February at the Gulfood Exhibition in Dubai.
Afghanistan’s finest fruits, nuts, and saffron went on display this week for buyers around the world at the world’s largest food and beverage exhibition in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
USAID launched the University Support and Workforce Development Program’s (USWDP) first Associate Degree in Business Accounting in Afghanistan in October 2017, with technical expertise provided by the University of Massachusetts in the United States. The two-and-a-half-year degree program offers university-level preparation for specific jobs in the public and private sectors, as well as for those who want to start their own businesses as independent entrepreneurs. The first cohort comprising 22 students, including two women, will graduate in September 2019.
USAID hosted the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) and more than 80 private sector business leaders at the U.S. Embassy to discuss reform strategies and business openings for the Afghan mining sector. Afghan government officials, including Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum Nargis Nehan; private sector mining company representatives; international partners; and officials from the Afghan and international Chambers of Commerce attended the day-long dialogue. Participants focused on key opportunities and challenges in the mining sector and took part in interactive roundtable discussions with Afghan government representatives.
In a major step toward facilitating exports by air, the Afghan government inaugurated a One-Stop Shop (OSS) in the Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) Customs Zone with the support of USAID’s Afghanistan Trade and Revenue Project. USAID support focused on the construction of the infrastructure. USAID will continue to work with staff of the OSS on custom processes and training for staff. The new facility significantly reduces the time required to export goods by streamlining and automating customs documentation. The opening ceremony was organized by the Afghanistan Customs Department (ACD), the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority, and USAID.
The United States Government and the Ministry of Finance of Afghanistan signed a letter for the disbursement of $100 million to the National Unity Government (GNU) for achieving development reforms under the New Development Partnership (NDP). The release of these funds is tied to the Afghan government’s achievement of specific development results and implementation of key policy reforms, including improved revenue collection, reducing corruption, and reducing poverty by helping the poor and marginalized, especially women. This is a part of the ongoing commitment by the U.S. Government to improve the welfare of the Afghan people.
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Last updated: April 19, 2018
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