SIPRI has received a grant from the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) to conduct a one-year feasibility study on private sector development in Afghanistan. The amount of the grant is 2.1 million Swedish kronor.
The feasibility study will focus on the private sector’s potential to contribute to security and economic development in Afghanistan, and will be undertaken in cooperation with the International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR).
SIPRI recently completed a two-year project on Afghanistan, the Wider Central Asia Initiative, which was funded by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and designed to promote dialogue among the main stakeholders in Afghanistan’s future. The project also led to a series of research papers on Afghanistan's relations with key external actors including Central Asian states, European states, Iran and Pakistan.