SIPRI researchers Richard Ghiasy and Jiayi Zhou, together with Henrik Hallgren from the International Council of Swedish Industry (NIR), presented their report ‘Afghanistan’s Private Sector: Status and ways forward’ at four separate events across three continents.
The events were held between September and November and took place in Brussels, Washington D.C., Stockholm and Kabul. The Swedish Ambassador to Afghanistan, Anders Sjöberg, hosted the final event in Kabul, which attracted a diverse audience including private sector actors and representatives from the EU Delegation.
Discussions at the four events centred around the current state of the Afghanistan private sector and the many challenges it faces to becoming a more inclusive, productive and competitive scenario. Participants also considered the necessary steps the Afghan government and the international community should take to create a more facilitating environment for the private sector to take off.
For further details, please read the full report or the executive summary.