The Aga Khan Development Network in Syria officially launched Accelerate Prosperity Syria on June 8, 2026, in Damascus, marking the formal establishment of a dedicated entrepreneurship support programme designed to strengthen the startup and small enterprise ecosystem across the country. The inaugural ceremony was held under the patronage of Ghadfan Ajjoub, Resident Representative of the Aga Khan Development Network in Syria, and brought together a distinguished gathering of government officials, diplomatic representatives, financial institutions, private sector leaders, development partners, investors, and entrepreneurs. The launch signals a significant expansion of Accelerate Prosperity’s operational presence into Syria at a moment when the country’s economic recovery and entrepreneurial development represent both an urgent need and a meaningful opportunity for structured, sustained institutional intervention.
The ceremony was attended by Abdulsalam Haykal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, the Ambassadors of Italy, Japan, and Germany to Syria, the Deputy Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, and senior representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Information, reflecting the degree of government and diplomatic engagement that accompanied the launch and the cross-sectoral significance that the initiative carries within Syria’s current development context. Global leadership from Accelerate Prosperity was also present, including Imran Shams, Global Executive Director of Accelerate Prosperity, Karim Sumar, Member of the Accelerate Prosperity Global Board, and Mohannad Obaido, Chief Executive Director of the Aga Khan Foundation in Syria. The presence of both global Accelerate Prosperity leadership and senior Syrian government officials at the launch reflects the institutional weight behind an initiative that is positioned as a long-term commitment rather than a short-term project.
Accelerate Prosperity Syria will provide business acceleration and incubation services, mentorship, coaching, technical assistance, market linkages, and facilitated access to finance for startups, micro-enterprises, small enterprises, and entrepreneurs across genders. The programme’s design reflects the specific challenges that Syrian entrepreneurs face, including limited access to formal financing, significant barriers to market access, and the absence of the sustained support structures that give early-stage ventures the stability and guidance needed to develop from initial ideas into viable, scalable businesses. By addressing these challenges through an integrated programme that combines direct financial access facilitation with mentorship, technical assistance, and market connectivity, Accelerate Prosperity Syria is working to build the conditions within which entrepreneurial activity can generate lasting economic opportunities for youth and women in particular, two groups whose economic participation is critical to the inclusive growth that sustainable recovery requires.
The launch event featured keynote addresses, project showcases, and strategic panel discussions that examined the current state of entrepreneurship in Syria, the persistent challenges that founders and small business owners face in the present environment, and the opportunities that are emerging as the country navigates a period of significant transition. The gathering served as both a ceremonial launch and a substantive platform for dialogue across public and private sectors, creating space for the kind of cross-institutional conversation about entrepreneurship policy, investment climate, and support infrastructure that shapes the conditions within which individual programmes like Accelerate Prosperity Syria can be most effective.
Ghadfan Ajjoub framed the launch within the Aga Khan Development Network’s broader commitment to Syria, noting that the network is implementing projects exceeding 100 million euros during 2026 and 2027 under the directives of His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, President of the Network. The launch of Accelerate Prosperity Syria represents one component of that commitment, specifically the entrepreneurship and economic empowerment dimension of a programme of engagement that is designed to contribute to inclusive and sustainable economic growth across the country. For Accelerate Prosperity, which has built a track record of delivering entrepreneurship support across Central Asia and South Asia, the expansion into Syria represents an extension of its model into a new geography where the need for structured, sustained entrepreneurship support is acute and where the institutional backing of the Aga Khan Development Network provides the credibility and operational foundation needed to establish an effective programme in a complex and rapidly evolving context.
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