USAID’s Future Growth Initiative

FACTSHEET

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.

ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE:

In the three and a half years since the start of the project, more than 1,800 local entrepreneurs from Tajikistan have taken part in online and in-person training to acquire skills that contribute to the region’s economic growth. Trainings were conducted by international experts from Mastercard, UPS, PayPal, and the E-commerce Institute.
More than 500 young people have completed professional IT courses in popular programming languages (Golang, PHP, Python, Android, Java Script, etc.). More than 227 course graduates have found new jobs or improved their existing jobs.
With USAID/FGI support, local companies raised over $10 million in investments and financing, which helped expand and diversify production and create over 820 new jobs (46% of which are held by women) and 2,655 improved jobs.
USAID/FGI has helped more than 50 private businesses adopt international best practices and standards in management, marketing, and operations, contributing to increased sales, operational efficiency, and improved working conditions for more than 650 employees.
With support from USAID/FGI сonsultants, the Farovon company introduced flour fortification, passed a World Food Program (WFP) audit, and was included in the list of official WFP suppliers. To date, the company has won three tenders to supply 11,000 tons of fortified flour to Afghanistan, of which 6,000 tons have already been delivered.
In partnership with USAID/FGI, the National Association of Small and Medium Businesses and Babilon-T jointly developed and expanded an e-commerce platform connecting more than 7,000 merchants, eight logistics companies, six financial institutions, and more than 40 online platforms.
With USAID/FGI assistance, local tourism companies developed seven new tourist routes, held summer camps, expanded service offerings, and conducted trainings on improving service quality, handicrafts, and gastro- and agrotourism, among other topics, for more than 500 people interested in or currently engaged in the provision of tourism services in remote mountainous areas.
USAID/FGI supports start-up ecosystem development in Tajikistan and encourages the involvement of women and youth in entrepreneurship. More than 100 women have participated in the business acceleration program organized by the National Association of Business Women, resulting in the creation of 21 new businesses.

PERFORMANCE PERIOD: October 2019 – September 2024