On November 24, 2011 PDT organized the first ever event for the youth of Afghanistan for Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW). It was the Afghan Entrepreneurship and Business Matchmaking Forum.

Eighty-five students from Kabul University attended, along with four partner companies, including Rawan Contracting Company, Afghan Cyber, Afghan Nemo Agri-businesses and Cetena productions Afghanistan. The companies presented their outcomes of the hardships that they faced while establishing their businesses to the students and elicited their insights on GEW. The event was broadcasted by the national media and left a positive impression over the audience.

The partner companies thanked PDT for providing them with the opportunity to get to know students who could serve as potential interns in the future. Mr. Pawl Wade, a media marketing professional, discussed the importance of media marketing for business promotion. About 30 students showed their interest in becoming business entrepreneurs.

Students were then divided into groups and discussed how to be successful entrepreneurs and how to promote entrepreneurship in Afghanistan. Team leaders from each group then presented what they had discussed.

It is the first time ever in Afghanistan that we are faced with such an event and we truly need to admire this effort by PDT,” said one student, Waheed Farogh during his presentation. “Being a student of economics, I am learning a lot about real business situations.”

Another team leader, Mohammad Sharif Hassan said he and some of his colleagues from Kabul University came up with a business plan for an overseas carpet export business. He explained that they wanted “to start a business to serve [their] country.” Hassan further explained that Afghanistan had depended on foreign aid for the last 10 years because aid had not been invested wisely nor had it remained in the country. He argued that, in order to stop the leakages of capital from his country, Afghanistan must create and implement fruitful economic and commercial business plans. “Because we want to take part in reconstruction and improvement of our country,” he said, “we should start our new business, which is manufacturing carpets.”

At the end of the event, Hedayatullah Alefi, a professor from Kabul University, said, “It was a good gathering of the businesses, professors and students. It helps business students to be an active part of the practical business. Conducting such kind of events motivates the young generation to show their talent and become good entrepreneurs.”

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The above blog was contributed by Hamid Ibrahimkhail at BuildingMarkets.org.

tags: GEW Afghanistan