Doing business, Afghan style

What do you know about Afghanistan? It’s hard not to see the scenes of violence and the tragic stories that regularly make the news. Maybe you have also heard nostalgic tales told by travellers of the 60’s and 70’s when the breathtaking Afghan mountains were a popular backpacking destination and Kabul was known as the Paris of the East. Maybe you have read A Thousand Splendid Suns, and understand some of what the Afghan people have been going through in the last couple of decades, and maybe you caught a glimpse of their resourcefulness, pride and will to rebuild their battered country.

But there’s more to Afghanistan than this. What about the success stories? The thousands of ordinary Afghans who enjoy spending time with their families, starting new businesses, making new friends on Facebook? What about the companies who are working to bring services and goods that people in other countries take for granted?

To find out more I talked to Shainoor Khoja, who works at the Afghan mobile GSM company Roshan, about life and doing business in Afghanistan. She started by telling me Ali Agha’s story (name has been changed).

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