A Stronger Private Sector in Pakistan .

A primary prerequisite of stabilization is a robust and competitive private sector supported by policies that will enable economic growth. The USAID Pakistan Firms project worked toward this end, assisting targeted firms to boost exports and employment in the livestock, tourism, fishing, and mango industries. One main focus of Firms was to work with district and regional governments to develop market reforms that would most benefit small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Another focus was to strengthen value chains from production through sales. All of these efforts helped reduce local enterprises’ vulnerability to extremism and conflict.