Agriculture Rural Investment & Enterprise Strengthening

ARIES is a three year $80 million program of USAID designed to support the USAID strategic objective of promoting a thriving licit economy led by the private sector through the development of financial institutions.

 

The ARIES program aims to provide expanded access to financial services in the rural regions of Afghanistan, and to create a strong private sector foundation for a sustainable finance system capable of providing a range of financial services to rural areas. The target of the program is all regions of the country.

 

ARIES will assist existing institutions to reach new levels of outreach and efficiency. Where institutions do not exist in priority areas, we will create them or assist others to expand to new markets.

 

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) is managing the ARIES program on behalf of USAID and is carrying out the objectives along with five experienced implementing partners. This program design enables ARIES to offer financial services to a range of enterprises from micro to primarily agro-based small, medium and even larger businesses with a capacity to create significant number of jobs. Loan sizes can range from less than $500 to more than $500,000.

 

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NEWS:

 

Economic Growth Updates:

26 Aug - 01 Sept 2009

 

USAID Extends Agriculture Loans in South of Afghanistan: Over 66% of the USAID-funded 3,500 loans in the southern region of Afghanistan has reached the agriculture sector, increasing access of farmers to quality seeds, fertilizers, chemicals, and machinery like tractors and threshers. A comparative regional analysis completed recently by the Academy for Educational Development (AED) identifies the southern region as receiving the largest proportion of loans extended to the agriculture sector. Read More...

 

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Economic Growth Updates:

17 - 25 Aug - 2009

USAID Program Supports Over 700 Farmers in Uruzgan: On August 17, members of the Uruzgan Islamic Investment and Finance Cooperative (IIFC) joined a luncheon to wish good harvest for the coming season. The event was held just a day before harvesting their crops. Over 700 farmers have received agriculture loans through the USAID-supported IIFC in Uruzgan. The loans have been largely used for purchasing quality seeds, fertilizers, and chemicals, and renting machineries such as tractors and threshers. IIFCs are community-based, member-owned institutions founded by the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU). They provide a range of Shariah compliant financial services to their members. The Uruzgan IIFC is located in the southern region of Afghanistan. The south is not only known as the biggest producer of illicit drugs but it is also one. Read More...

 

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Economic Growth Updates:

11 - 17 Aug - 2009

Text Box: M-Commerce Workshop, Safi Landmark, Kabul. Photo by: AED

 

Afghans Utilize New Technology in Financial Transactions: On August 11, the Academy for Educational Development (AED) in collaboration with the USAID-funded Afghanistan Economic Governance and Private Sector Strengthening (AEG&PSS) Program held a workshop in Kabul to discuss expansion of M-Commerce (mobile phone banking) in Afghanistan. More than 60 people attended the event, representing a wide spectrum of stakeholders that included Afghan government, donors, implementing partners, financial institutions, mobile phone companies, and NGOs. H.E. Abdul Qadeer Fitrat, Governor of the Central Bank of Afghanistan and Francis J. Ricciardone, Deputy Ambassador of the United States Embassy in Kabul were the key speakers in the workshop. They highlighted the role of the Read More...

 

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"Over 80 representatives from the Afghan government, financial institutions, business development service companies, donor agencies and partner organizations attended a workshop in Kabul July 21-22 to identify obstacles to Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) developent in Afghansitan, and to propose ways to overcome them.  Hosted by AED, in collaboration with the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA), and ShoreBank International (SBI)  the workshop identified a number of areas of consensus that will be captured in a strategy paper.  To learn more, please click here

 

 

Map of Provinces Under the ARIES Program Coverage

      

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ARIES Implementing Partners:

 

ARIES Brochure

Download (PDF 709KB)

Success Stories

Curiosity Opened the Door to a Long-Term Job

Saifoor, a 42 years old man was frequently walking around the markets in Jalalabad city, Nangarhar province trying his luck to be contracted for a daily labor work. As the only food provider of a nine-member family, Saifoor has always wished for a long-term job.More......

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Dark Nights No Longer Exist

Juma Gul and Dawa Jan, the two brothers from Nazarabad village of Shurkh-Rood district in Nangarhar Province managed to bring light to the dark nights of their neighborhoods. The brothers had the knowledge of hydroelectricity but never had the financial means to use it in their real life.More......

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Photo Gallery

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Updates

ECONOMIC GROWTH UPDATES

01 – 08 November, 2009

ECONOMIC GROWTH UPDATES

26 October – 01 November, 2009

ECONOMIC GROWTH UPDATES

6 – 11 October, 2009

ECONOMIC GROWTH UPDATES

22 – 28 September, 2009

ECONOMIC GROWTH UPDATES

08 – 14 October, 2009

 

 

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