Accelerate Prosperity, a global initiative in Central and South Asia, promotes entrepreneurship with an emphasis on women and youth, and the growth of small and growing businesses.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
Accelerate Prosperity, a global initiative in Central and South Asia, promotes entrepreneurship with an …
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
When young people in northern Kenya struggle to find work and become vulnerable to drug addiction, crime and even radicalisation, the Aga Khan Foundation, with the support of the European Commission, is working with them to hone new skills, become apprentices and develop the confidence to gain employment and choose a more positive path.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
When young people in northern Kenya struggle to find work and become vulnerable to drug addiction, crime and …
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
In Daghoni, Khaplu, Pakistan, Zarina is one of the six youth entrepreneurs that started Al-Hajra Wool Spinning Centre, after receiving the Youth Micro Challenge Award, during a week-long training on enterprise development, supported by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme.
AKDN / Danial Shah
In Daghoni, Khaplu, Pakistan, Zarina is one of the six youth entrepreneurs that started Al-Hajra Wool …
AKDN / Danial Shah
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Our employable skills training and support services reached 38,000 people in 2022
The issue of economic exclusion is a stark one: an estimated 172 million people are unemployed globally, with many regions recording a youth unemployment rate twice as high as adults. About 48 percent of women globally participate in the labour force, compared to 75 percent of men.
The Aga Khan Foundation therefore aims to improve the economic well-being of women and men, particularly youth. We focus on increasing skills for employment and self-employment, planning for the future of work, and enhancing access to affordable and useful financial products. We work in Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Madagascar, Mozambique, Pakistan, Portugal, Syria, Tajikistan and Tanzania.
Future of Work
Engaging employers
We engage employers to unlock opportunities that are future-facing and aligned to market needs and trends. This involves forging coalitions of employers across multiple countries to advance youth recruitment, employer-led training, internships, and retention and career advancement strategies.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
Developing skills
Human capital development in rural geographies is vital to the future of work. Our key priorities include digital literacy and advanced digital skills, training in high-demand vocations and growth professions, and critical 21st-century competencies. We also promote entrepreneurship as a career pathway, particularly for women and youth from disadvantaged communities.
Investing in the future
We invest in infrastructure and connectivity solutions for digitally-enabled and alternative work arrangements. These foster new freelancing and business process outsourcing opportunities for locally available and globally connected work. We consider technology, broadband, IT education and skills, government policies and incentives.
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
Accelerate Prosperity
A joint venture with the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development's Industrial Promotion Services division, Accelerate Prosperity promotes start-ups through innovative lean business model iteration, market traction and revenue generation. Supported companies create new jobs and contribute to inclusive economic development across promising sectors. For small and growing businesses, services include structured training, networking, tailored technical assistance, investment-readiness support through mentorship, and access to early-stage financing. Accelerate Prosperity’s virtual acceleration programme enhances remote engagement of entrepreneurs through webinars, public resources, online training, virtual pitch sessions and e-mentorship. Find out more
In Madagascar, school-age girls from rural families meet regularly to manage a community-based savings group that they formed with the support of the Aga Khan Foundation.
AKDN / Lucas Cuervo Moura
Creating connections
We promote business membership organisations, farming producer organisations, other enterprise groups and business intermediaries that can enhance business linkages, productivity, and value addition in promising local economic sectors. This is often part of broader value chain development and market systems development initiatives.
Providing access to finance
We facilitate access to affordable and appropriate finance through community-based savings groups, including digital savings groups, and self-help groups where women and the poor have limited ability to access formal services. These local structures are often women-led and serve as a platform for other interventions which promote access to financial literacy and social and economic opportunities.
We also strengthen links between community institutions and households, and formal financial services and digital financial tools. This broadens access to financial products and services including savings, lending and insurance.