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The OPIC Blog
Supporting investment in AfghanistanDecember 10, 2012Last week, OPIC joined the Afghan-American Chamber of Commerce’s 8th Annual U.S.-Afghanistan Business Matchmaking Conference, where OPIC Senior Investment Officer John Didiuk (pictured) discussed the agency’s mission, private sector development and the potential for business finance in Afghanistan. The two-day conference and trade show, designed to help U.S. businesses learn about opportunities in Afghanistan, also featured panel discussions covering the 
A pivotal year for foreign affairs, a banner year for OPIC: Read the fiscal 2011 annual reportMay 22, 2012OPIC recently published its annual report for fiscal 2011, a year that OPIC President and CEO Elizabeth Littlefield describes as “a pivotal year for foreign affairs and a banner year for the U.S. Government’s development finance institution.” Littlefield’s full letter is preinted below, and the complete annual report is available on OPIC.gov. When I embarked on my first full year at OPIC’s Monthly News Wrap-Up: March 2012March 29, 2012We frequently share the important pieces of journalism we find on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. Starting this month, we will also begin recapping on our blog some of the stories we consider most important to helping solve critical development challenges. This month there has been increased discussion over ways to encourage more economic development in Afghanistan in order to 
Expanding small business lending in AfghanistanJanuary 27, 2012OPIC and Afghan Growth Finance (AGF) have agreed to expand an existing partnership and this week signed an agreement to co-finance up to $11.5 million in loans to small businesses in Afghanistan. The new facility will provide small and medium-sized enterprises with access to capital in larger amounts and for long-term tenors – terms generally unavailable from other financial institutions in the Elizabeth Littlefield on OPIC’s year-end results and impactJanuary 19, 2012Can we advance U.S. development and foreign policy and make money for the budget at the same time? Yes. And we do. Private investors such as entrepreneurs and members of diasporas are ready to invest in projects that build sustainable economies, opportunities and hope in developing markets, while creating jobs at home. U.S. companies see these high growth emerging markets OPIC in the news: Moving Afghanistan from an “aid economy” to an “entrepreneurial economy”June 23, 2011CNN.com recently explored what happens when the military surge in Afghanistan ends, and highlighted how an OPIC-backed investment can help stimulate many times more the original amount in private-sector investment. “For a $20 million from OPIC,” it notes, “this catalogues $4 billion in private sector investment into the sector…. This shows a very small amount of money, very well applied, can 
Avoiding economic depression in Afghanistan: How private-sector investment can helpJune 20, 2011By Elizabeth Littlefield, OPIC President and CEO Earlier this month, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee offered a grim forecast about the future of Afghanistan, warning that the country could face “a severe economic depression” after foreign troops withdraw in 2014. The report, which asserted that both military and civilian aid programs in the country are unsustainable, reopened a longstanding debate Photos: Kabul Marriott projectJune 15, 2011On June 6, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the construction site of the Kabul Marriott, a project backed by an OPIC loan. The project, which represents one of the largest private-sector investments in Afghanistan to date, has created more than 1,000 local jobs. The five-star hotel is expected to open in late 2012. |
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