Our Business on the Frontlines team traveled to Kyrgyzstan as part of the third consecutive year of partnership with Accelerate Prosperity (AP) and the Aga Khan Development Network. During this time, our team engaged in an extensive research process to determine the landscape of the green construction industry in Kyrgyzstan and how AP can strategize its operations to best engage with the green construction industry. In total, the team conducted over 45 interviews and visited four regions in Kyrgyzstan–Bishkek, Osh, Karakol, and Batken.
Our scope of work included four parts: (1) an overall assessment of the construction sector including identification of sub-industries with green potential in Kyrgyzstan, (2) identification of key market problems that the green construction cohort will seek to address and gaps that entrepreneurs could fill through new business ventures or new products/services, (3) assessment of opportunities and challenges in Kyrgyzstan’s green construction sector and the needs of entrepreneurs in the sector, and (4) exploration of additional potential program partners in supporting the ecosystem.
Final Recommendation and Three Strategies
We distilled our research into one primary recommendation with three enabling implementation strategies. Our key recommendation is that through a multi-year initiative, AP builds Green Construction Communities in five distinct regions across Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek, Osh, Batken, Karakol, and Naryn). We recommend AP do this through three distinct strategies:
AP implements a Business-in-a-Box (BIAB) model within its cohort structures.
AP expands and restructures its programming related to green construction cohorts.
And lastly, AP expands promotion and awareness of the green construction industry and opportunities within the industry through partnership development.
These three strategies will assist AP in developing the green construction industry throughout Kyrgyzstan and ensure it is prioritized within AP’s current structure and programming models. This report includes the key in-country findings, our overarching recommendation, the definitions and implementation process of the three strategies listed above, and appendices, which include both interview notes and other possible BIAB ideas for AP to consider.
We greatly enjoyed our partnership with AP and our time in Kyrgyzstan learning how AP can facilitate the growth of Green Construction Communities throughout the region.