Who We Are
Founder & ChairmanOur Partners
AwardsFact Sheet
Frequently Asked QuestionsContact Us
Founder & Chairman
Our Partners
Awards
Fact Sheet
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Us
What We Do

Developing Human Capacity


Early Childhood DevelopmentEducationHealth

Building Resilient Communities


Environment & Climate ChangeAgriculture & Food SecurityCivil SocietyDisaster Preparedness & ResponseHabitat Planning & Improvement

Generating Economic Growth


Enterprise DevelopmentFinancial InclusionHospitality & TourismIndustrial DevelopmentInfrastructure DevelopmentMedia

Honouring Cultural Heritage


ArchitectureHistoric CitiesMuseumMusicParks & Gardens

Developing Human Capacity


Early Childhood DevelopmentEducationHealth

Building Resilient Communities


Environment & Climate ChangeAgriculture & Food SecurityCivil SocietyDisaster Preparedness & ResponseHabitat Planning & Improvement

Generating Economic Growth


Enterprise DevelopmentFinancial InclusionHospitality & TourismIndustrial DevelopmentInfrastructure DevelopmentMedia

Honouring Cultural Heritage


ArchitectureHistoric CitiesMuseumMusicParks & Gardens
Where We Work

North America


CanadaUnited States of America

Europe


FrancePortugalSwitzerlandUnited Kingdom

Eastern Africa


Kenya MadagascarMozambiqueRwandaTanzaniaUganda

West Africa


Burkina FasoCôte d’IvoireMaliSenegal

Middle East


EgyptSyriaUnited Arab Emirates

Central Asia


AfghanistanKazakhstanKyrgyz RepublicTajikistan

South Asia


BangladeshIndiaPakistan

East Asia


MalaysiaSingapore

North America


CanadaUnited States of America

Europe


FrancePortugalSwitzerlandUnited Kingdom

Eastern Africa


Kenya MadagascarMozambiqueRwandaTanzaniaUganda

West Africa


Burkina FasoCôte d’IvoireMaliSenegal

Middle East


EgyptSyriaUnited Arab Emirates

Central Asia


AfghanistanKazakhstanKyrgyz RepublicTajikistan

South Asia


BangladeshIndiaPakistan

East Asia


MalaysiaSingapore
How We Work

Our Approach


Our Approach to DevelopmentOur Ethical FrameworkFrequently Asked Questions

Our Agencies


Aga Khan Health ServicesAga Khan Agency for HabitatAga Khan FoundationAga Khan SchoolsAga Khan UniversityUniversity of Central AsiaAga Khan Trust for CultureAga Khan Agency for MicrofinanceAga Khan Fund for Economic Development

Our Approach


Our Approach to DevelopmentOur Ethical FrameworkFrequently Asked Questions

Our Agencies


Aga Khan Health ServicesAga Khan Agency for HabitatAga Khan FoundationAga Khan SchoolsAga Khan UniversityUniversity of Central AsiaAga Khan Trust for CultureAga Khan Agency for MicrofinanceAga Khan Fund for Economic Development
Resources and Media

News & Stories


Our StoriesProject SpotlightsNews ReleasesEventsAKDN in the Media

Multimedia


VideosPhotographs

Resources


SpeechesPublicationsThe Learning Hub

News & Stories


Our StoriesProject SpotlightsNews ReleasesEventsAKDN in the Media

Multimedia


VideosPhotographs

Resources


SpeechesPublicationsThe Learning Hub
Get Involved
Work with AKDNDonate
SubscribeInternational Scholarship Programme
Contact Us
Work with AKDN
Donate
Subscribe
International Scholarship Programme
Contact Us
en
العربيةEnglishFrenchPortuguês
Resources and Media/News & Stories/Photographs

Accelerate Prosperity: Enabling young entrepreneurs in emerging regions

Aga Khan Foundation

Kyrgyz Republic · 2 February 2021 · 

Salamat (pictured here), who employs eight female workers, makes souvenirs for tourists in Murghab, Tajikistan. Using the investment from Accelerate Prosperity (AP) to purchase equipment for processing wool, she is part of a programme that has reached 6,000 youth in Pakistan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer

languageSwitcherThis page is also available in

Accelerate Prosperity (AP) is an initiative of the Aga Khan Development Network aimed at supporting start-ups and small and growing businesses. Based in Pakistan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, the initiative builds on years of activities and interventions in entrepreneurship, skills development and business investments undertaken by the Aga Khan Foundation and Industrial Promotion Services in this region.


The initiative focuses on women and youth (age 16 to 30) in rural towns and peri-urban settings, where economic opportunities often remain insufficient. It also targets entrepreneurs with low-income earnings, refugees and migrants, the unemployed and those who have not completed primary or secondary education.


Beneficiaries are supported non-financially and financially, and are introduced to innovative tools such as patient and tailored debt and quasi-equity.The initiative combines lean startup business modeling methodologies, mentorship, angel investment networks, a digital deal flow platform, blended learning and gender-lens and youth-lens approaches.


In most cases, AP services reinforce the Network’s wider efforts to address constraints to business growth in rural settings – for example, investments in energy, telecoms and infrastructure – and work on upgrading promising agricultural and non-agricultural value chains as well as employable and soft skills. These investments reduce business risks and expand opportunities for youth entrepreneurship and employment.


Results to Date


As of December 2020, Accelerate Prosperity expanded operations to three regions in Pakistan (Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad), four regions in Tajikistan (GBAO, Dushanbe, Khatlon and Sughd) and three regions in the Kyrgyz Republic (Bishkek, Osh and Naryn), which makes it the only regional enterprise growth accelerator in Central and South Asia.


The initiative has reached over 12,200 aspiring and existing entrepreneurs – of which 43% youth. Around 950 start-ups were incubated to help them launch their businesses, 470 companies were accelerated for growth and 174 companies were provided patient financing of US$ 2.2 million, leveraging an equal amount from entrepreneurs and external financial institutions. The portfolio companies fall in various sub-sectors including textile, agro-processing, livestock, agriculture, IT, health, education, hospitality, waste management and adventure. To date, these companies have created over 1,060 new direct jobs and have sustained many indirect jobs through backward and forward linked businesses.


Accelerate Prosperity is co-financed by the European Commission, USAID, GiZ, UNICEF, SECO, World Bank, the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development’s Industrial Promotion Services.


Related To This

Tags

Kyrgyz RepublicPakistanTajikistanAga Khan FoundationEnterprise development
Photographs

Latest Photographs

See More

No Result Found
No Result FoundNo Result Found

See Also

akdn_footer_1a.pngakdn-footer-1c.png

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is dedicated to improving the quality of life of those in need, mainly in Asia and Africa, irrespective of their origin, faith, or gender. Our multifaceted development approach aims to help communities and individuals become self-reliant.

Contact Us
sm-facebook-grey.pngsm-twitterx-grey.pngsm-instagram-grey.pngsm-youtube-grey.pngsm-linkedin-grey.png

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign UpContact Us
sm-facebook-grey.pngsm-twitterx-grey.pngsm-instagram-grey.pngsm-youtube-grey.pngsm-linkedin-grey.png

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign UpContact Us

Quick Links

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Stories

Work with AKDN

Donate

Who We Are

Founder & Chairman

Our Partners

Awards

Fact Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

What We Do

WHERE WE WORK

Our Agencies

AKHS Aga Khan Health Services

AKAH Aga Khan Agency for Habitat

AKF Aga Khan Foundation

AKS Aga Khan Schools

AKU Aga Khan University

UCA University of Central Asia

AKTC Aga Khan Trust for Culture

AKAM Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance

AKFED Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development

  • Quick Links
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Our Stories
  • Work with AKDN
  • Donate
Who We Are
What We Do
WHERE WE WORK
Our Agencies

© 1967 - 2023 Aga Khan Foundation, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. All rights reserved.

Terms & Conditions·Privacy Policy·Cookie Notice