How to create 600000 jobs in 6 months in Afghanistan | Sanzar Kakar | TEDxDarulaman
The speaker argues that creating jobs through an economic solution, rather than solely relying on security, is the primary path to stabilizing Afghanistan. He posits that jobs bring security, illustrated by the need to employ at least 600,000 Afghans annually, which can be facilitated by creating a platform connecting local assets, goods, and services to the country's 36 million people. This requires a nationwide campaign to teach mobile phone usage for advertising talents and transactions. ## Speakers & Context - Unnamed speaker presenting on job creation in Afghanistan. - Discusses the prevailing view that security must precede economic development. - Acknowledges the current situation: approximately **40%** of the Afghan population is jobless and seeking work. - Notes the workforce growth: **400,000** Afghans join the workforce annually, requiring an effort to employ at least **600,000** Afghans. ## Theses & Positions - A military solution for Afghanistan is no longer viable. - An economic solution—jobs—is a crucial, under-thought avenue for stability, arguing that *"jobs bring security not the other way around."* - The core goal is to build a local economy through the continuous cycle of utilizing **assets**, circulating **goods**, and transacting **services** within Afghanistan. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Local Economy:** An internal economic mechanism that needs encouragement to grow, promote, and continuously expand by connecting local buyers and sellers. - **Transaction Mechanism/Platform:** A necessary platform to connect the country's **36 million** people—specifically designed to facilitate advertising and requesting goods/services. - **Mobile Wallets:** A proposed system for handling payments, designed to encourage local recirculation of funds and shift dependence away from physical banks. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Asset Utilization:** Using underutilized assets, such as vehicles (citing **700,000** unused vehicles), through a platform so owners can generate income without using the asset themselves. - **Market Expansion (Goods):** Moving the market beyond the limitations of physical shops (where shopkeepers are limited to walk-in customers) to an entire national reach. - **Payment Modernization:** Implementing electronic payments via mobile wallets for salary distribution, vendor payments, and international remittances to keep funds within the country. - **Service Provisioning:** Utilizing a platform to allow skilled workers (plumbers, electricians, beauticians, etc.) to list services, allowing consumers to rate and select reliable professionals instantly. ## Named Entities - **Afghanistan** — country focus for economic development. ## Numbers & Data - Goal: Create **600,000** jobs. - Current unemployment: **40%** of the Afghan population. - Annual workforce growth: **400,000** Afghans. - Total population: **36 million**. - Mobile phone ownership: **78%** of the population. - Internet access: **26%** of the population. - Active social media users: About **10 million**. - Population growth rate: **2.3%** annually, representing one of the youngest populations globally. - Internet usage growth: Almost **150%** year-on-year. - Unused vehicles: Approximately **700,000**. - Households: **5 million** households. ## Examples & Cases - **Local Goods/Services:** The need for a platform to allow goods to reach beyond the physical shop door, citing female hygiene products that boomed online because women preferred discreet home delivery over male-dominated stores. - **Service Sector:** A plumber needing a way to advertise services so users can connect them, trust the quality, and pay instantly. - **Remittances:** Shifting from physical bank payments to electronic transfer via mobile wallets to keep funds within Afghanistan. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Mobile Phones:** Primary tool for enabling nationwide advertising and transaction requests. - **Internet/Internet Access:** The necessary infrastructure for the platform. - **Apps:** The specific mechanism required; a nationwide campaign must teach people how to download and use these apps. - **Payment Wallet:** The desired instrument for receiving salaries and payments electronically. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Agriculture/IT/Mining:** These sectors were considered, but the speaker notes the difficulty of competing globally (e.g., manufacturing vs. China, IT vs. India), suggesting a focus on internal capacity. - **Physical Commerce vs. Digital Commerce:** Moving from customers physically walking into a shop to accessing goods/services across the entire country digitally. ## Methodology - Proposes a phased approach: First, establish the digital connection (apps/internet education); second, build the infrastructure (platform); third, enforce the circulatory system (mandating electronic payments). ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Focus on building a local economic cycle by connecting assets, goods, and services via a digital platform. - Implement a nationwide campaign to teach populace how to use mobile technology for commerce. - Require all government salaries and donations to flow through electronic wallets to ensure local utilization. ## Implications & Consequences - Economic revitalization through job creation can effectively reduce participation in insurrections. - Successfully implementing this economic cycle will maximize the time people spend being *"productive members of society"* rather than in administrative waiting lines. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I'd like to argue something else I would like to say that actually jobs bring security not the other way around because it's a fact that people with jobs are much less likely to join the insurgency."* - *"we need at least 600,000 Afghans to do it how do we do it"* - *"assets that are underutilized there are goods that we need to get to market and there's services that we need to get market"* - *"we need a nationwide campaign to explain to people how to use their phones to download certain apps"* - *"there's about 700,000 unused vehicles in Afghanistan"* - *"if there's a way that he can reach the entire country those entire 36 million people"* - *"we're requesting all bank payments to go through there"* - *"so instead of people wasting their time waiting in lines at the bank to pay their bill or pick up their salary or transfer some money to somebody else they can do it all instantaneously"*