Afghanistan—Competitiveness of Export-Oriented Businesses Activity (ACEBA)

Client: U.S. Agency for International Development

Prime: Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI)

Duration: 2020-2025

Region: Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Country: Afghanistan

Solutions: Economic Growth

 

The Afghanistan Competitiveness of Export-Oriented Businesses Activity (ACEBA) project is designed to promote Afghanistan’s sustainable, market-driven economic growth by enhancing the export competitiveness and market linkages of Afghan businesses.

OXUS is providing technical expertise and guidance to other ACEBA members working in the project’s value chains, and on business enabling environment activities.

Under ACEBA, OXUS is providing both short-term and long-term technical expertise—international and Afghan—to improve business productivity across value chains. OXUS is delivering experienced short-term support across the project’s five sectors in direct support of Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The value chains addressed under the project include those that have considerable unrealized potential but have yet to receive concentrated development programming attention. Target value chains include carpets; precious stones and jewelry; marble and granite; cashmere; and saffron. All value chains are recognized for their potential to deliver demonstrable results from downstream value-add, sales, exports, and job creation.

 

Sample Activities

  • Recruiting and deploying a team of 40 persons in ten (10) provinces throughout the country to monitor implementation and stipend payments to Apprenticeship Program participants;
  • Provide support to the implementation of key value chain interventions that will improve inputs, quality, and product development by exporters for these product lines: carpets, cashmere, saffron, precious stones, natural stones and textiles.
  • Supporting businesses in identifying new markets, securing new buyers/sales contracts, and in trade show participation if merited.
  • Providing technical assistance to individual enterprises in the development of business strategies, in improving product development, manufacturing processes, increasing quantity and quality to meet the requirements of buyers, and export marketing.
  • Supporting businesses in acquiring required certifications, meeting quality standards necessary for export trade, understanding trade management.
  • Supporting associations and business service providers to develop and execute activities in support of increasing exports and creating jobs.

 

Select Results

  • Placed 19,587 apprentices (including 14,814 females or 76%) females with 218 host companies to learn new skills to earn livelihoods and help support more than 150,000 household members. Each apprentice receives a stipend of $120 per month during the training period and the vast majority of those that have completed their apprenticeships are kept on in full-time employment. These apprenticeships have been established in the carpet, cashmere, saffron and textiles value chains.
  • Recruited and deployed short-term technical advisors (STTA) that are supporting business strategy development and planning, marketing, and branding, production upgrading and refinement for international markets, trade fair participation, and sector-specific constraints analyses;
  • To date, have been providing STTA experts in these areas: saffron genetics, gemstone-cutting, cashmere breeding, jewelry production, marble exploration geology, spice marketing and wool carpets dyeing.