USAID's Future Growth Initiative spurs productive economic activity across Central Asia to increase local competitiveness, create new jobs, and improve incomes for Central Asia's growing workforce.
ACTIVITY COMPONENTS:
- Enterprises – Fostering competitive industries through expansion into new target markets (regionally or globally) to increase sales and exports while attracting local and international investment.
- Employment – Developing entrepreneurship and a capable workforce through targeted training to create new jobs or improve current ones.
- Enabling Environment – Creating conditions for jobs and investment by supporting policy change through public-private dialogue, analysis, and application of global standards.
- Since the initiative was launched three and a half years ago, over 12,000 local entrepreneurs from Central Asia, 57 percent of whom are women, have participated in virtual and in-person training, acquiring new skills to support the region's economic growth. International experts from Mastercard, UPS, PayPal, and the E-commerce Institute engaged with local participants.
- USAID facilitated over $83 million in investment in 35 firms in Central Asia, supporting environment, social, and governance compliance, digitization, and capacity building for local companies and creating over 16,500 new and improved jobs (51 percent held by women). USAID partnered with the European Union-funded International Trade Center to train 130 entrepreneurs (80 percent are women) in e-commerce; 96 trained participants created online stores and sold 618 handicraft items worth almost $48,000 to buyers in 22 countries.
- USAID collaborated with Tajik and Uzbek tourism agencies and associations to expand and improve tourist offerings and accommodations. As a result, participants opened 10 guesthouses, and dozens of communities now participate in local tourism programs, which have created or improved 467 jobs (40 percent of which are held by women). Collectively, the agencies created nearly 30 new tourist routes, promoting many of the region's most underdeveloped areas.
- USAID directly supported 15 policy changes in Central Asian countries, expanding opportunities for venture capital and startups, e-commerce, capital markets, and women’s entrepreneurship.
- USAID worked with Kazakhstan's largest retail chain, Magnum, to launch an online platform; 68 of its stores now offer online ordering and delivery. The expansion created 1,736 new jobs (38 percent held by youth, 38 percent by women, and one percent by people with disabilities). USAID has also supported cross-border partnerships, linking Magnum with suppliers in Kyrgyzstan.
- USAID supported Textile Trans LLC to become the first company in Kyrgyzstan’s light industry to place bonds on the stock exchange. Bond sales raised over $1.18 million.
- In partnership with USAID in Tajikistan, the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and Babilon-T developed and expanded e-commerce systems by linking over 7,100 merchants, eight financial institutions, and over 40 online platforms. Babilon-T also created an online academy that has trained over 80 small and medium-sized enterprises in e-commerce.
- USAID’s Export Platform Program provided resources and expertise to Turkmen businesses to expand exports to international markets. Manufacturers Yupekchi, Hasar, and Kindi have successfully entered new regional markets, exporting 43 containers of goods worth $1,260,000.
- In Uzbekistan, USAID prioritized capacity building for women entrepreneurs and girls, including through partnership with the women’s foundation Sharq Aoyli to advance e-commerce; support for the Astrum IT Academy to build IT skills; a joint initiative with IT Park to promote women’s startups; and collaboration with APTA Community Based Tourism to develop new tourism products. These efforts led to 2,247 new and improved jobs and $150,949 in investment.
