Gloablisation:Afghanistan
Progress in the Aftermath of War
One of the words most frequently used by observers to describe Afghanistan in the immediate aftermath of the overthrow of the Taliban was ‘medieval’. Decades of occupation, civil war and oppressive government left a legacy of poverty, insecurity and chronic under-investment. All of the essential infrastructure needed for a society to function was in disrepair: transport, communications, power, water, schools, hospitals. Everything that hadn’t already been destroyed was in dire need of repair.
ASI was called upon by DFID to assist the post-war government of President Hamid Karzai in quickly building institutions capable of providing the essential services so desperately needed by Afghanistan ’s long-suffering population.
We have been able to bring our expertise to bare on a variety of vital projects:
Working with the Ministry of Finance to develop strategies for the reform of the tax and customs systems. Helping to review the investment code and supervise the financial sector Working with the Civil Service Commission to develop a reform strategy. Developing systems to manage and monitor the civil service payroll Working with the Central Bank to support the introduction of a national currency and the development of an electronic payments system Working with the Office of the President to develop systems and processes All of these measures have been essential in getting the Afghan government up and working in the vacuum left by the Taliban. We continue to advise the government on a whole raft of reforms, with our involvement expanding into other cabinet office and civil service issues.
