Early Warning System

Regions

Middle East and North Africa

Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.

Countries

Afghanistan

Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.

Financial Institutions

World Bank (WB)

International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.

Project Status

Proposed

Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.

Bank Risk Rating

Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."

Voting Date

Nov 4, 2026

Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.

Borrower

Afghan Credit Guarantee Foundation; United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.

Sectors

Finance
Industry and Trade

The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.

Investment Type(s)

Grant

The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.

Investment Amount (USD)

$ 45.00 million

Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.

Project Cost (USD)

$ 110.00 million

Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.

Bank Documents

Primary Source

Original disclosure @ WB website

Updated in EWS Sep 14, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Feb 19, 2026

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Project Description

If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to the Bank’s website, the objective of this project is to support access to finance and capabilities of MSMEs in selected value chains.

The Private Sector Resilience Program (PSRP) comprises a Series of Projects (SOP) to support the resilience of MSMEs. PSRP complements the World Bank program in Afghanistan by engaging the private sector as a partner to support economic resilience and long-term sustainability. PSRP will combine vertical and horizontal interventions to support high-potential, labor-intensive value chains critical to women's employment, livelihoods, and food security.

The first project in the SOP (SOP1) has a total budget of USD 45 million (USD 30 million from ARTF and USD 15 million from IDA) and is planned for three years. The project operates through four components:
- Component 1 expands access to finance by providing credit guarantees and technical assistance to financial service providers to de-risk MSME lending;
- Component 2 supports value chain resilience through matching grants, business development services, and an investment co-financing facility targeting agribusiness (e.g., grapes, apples, pomegranates) and light manufacturing (e.g., carpets), as well as start-ups and innovative MSMEs;
- Component 3 advances a knowledge agenda through feasibility studies, trade and finance analytics, and risk assessments to build the evidence base for private sector development in Afghanistan; and
- Component 4 is a Contingent Emergency Response Component.

The project is implemented by ACGF (Component 1) and UNOPS (Components 2, 3, and 4).

Early Warning System Project Analysis

For a project with severe or irreversible impacts to local community and natural resources, the Early Warning System Team may conduct a thorough analysis regarding its potential impacts to human and environmental rights.

The environmental risk classification for PSRP is Substantial. This reflects the project’s nationwide scope and diverse activities, including value chain development in agribusiness, light manufacturing, healthcare, and infrastructure investments (cold storage, processing centers, digital service hubs). While the program promotes sustainable practices and investments in cleaner technologies, potential risks include land use changes, increased resource extraction, pollution from industrial and healthcare operations, waste generation (packaging, agricultural by-products, medical waste), and adverse effects on soil, water, air quality, and biodiversity—especially in rural or sensitive areas. Cumulative impacts may be amplified by dispersed interventions and limited local capacity for monitoring and management.

Social risk is also rated as Substantial. This rating is primarily due to the FCV context, which is characterized by threats to human security and limited capacity among entities to manage social risks and impacts. Additional factors contributing to this rating include concerns about community health and safety (such as risks of child labor), issues of exclusion and discrimination, inadequate grievance mechanisms that may lead to social conflict, and persistent gender barriers. The risk of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH) is rated high due to limited state protection, restrictions on women’s participation, and weak oversight. Barriers such as inaccessible reporting channels and lack of survivor-centered services increase vulnerability, especially for women involved in economic activities.

Investment Description

Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

World Bank (WB)

Total Project Cost: US$ 110.00 million
The first project in the SOP (SOP1) has a total budget of USD 45 million (USD 30 million from Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund and USD 15 million from IDA) and is planned for three years.

Financial Intermediary

A financial intermediary is a bank or financial institution that receives funds from a development bank. A financial intermediary then lends these funds to their clients (private actors) in the form of loans, bonds, guarantees and equity shares. Financial intermediaries include insurance, pension and equity funds. The direct financial relationship is between the development bank and the financial intermediary.

Afghan Credit Guarantee Foundation (ACGF) (Financial Intermediary)

Private Actors Description

A Private Actor is a non-governmental body or entity that is the borrower or client of a development project, which can include corporations, private equity and banks. This describes the private actors and their roles in relation to the project, when private actor information is disclosed or has been further researched.

Afghan Credit Guarantee Foundation (ACGF Foundation) is a charitable foundation based in Cologne, Germany. ACGF's mission is to improve access to finance for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Afghanistan by providing credit guarantees and technical assistance to Partner Financial Institutions (PFIs) – banks, micro-finance and micro-deposit institutions.

Contact Information

This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

CONTACT POINT - World Bank

Task Team Leader: Ali H. Abukumail
Title: Program Manager
Email: aabukumail@worldbank.org

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

To submit an information request for project information, you will have to create an account to access the Access to Information request form. You can learn more about this process at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/access-to-information/request-submission

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint