Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2008, Official Report, column 1165W, on Afghanistan: overseas aid, how much private sector investment he estimates will be committed to the Afghanistan Investment Climate Facility in the next 12 months.

Mr. Douglas Alexander
In the next 12 months the Department for International Development (DFID) expects private sector investors to commit approximately US $250,000 to the Afghanistan Investment Climate Facility for its first year of operation.

There are very few multinational companies operating in Afghanistan and the private sector remains small and underdeveloped. This investment will be a significant contribution in a challenging business environment where corporate social responsibility is an unfamiliar concept.