Biruni Institute Launches Biruni Consultancy

To resume and expand our activities into new areas and much stronger collaboration with the private sector, we are pleased to announce the launch of Biruni Consultancy, the implementation arm of the Biruni Institute.

Biruni Consultancy will build on the Institute’s research experience, local knowledge and analytical expertise to support development partners, financial institutions and private-sector actors in Afghanistan and other fragile and complex settings.

Its work will initially focus on two main areas of practice:

Private Sector & Financial Inclusion

Biruni Consultancy will provide analytical and technical support aimed at strengthening markets, financial systems and enterprise resilience. Areas of work will include:

• Market Intelligence: Value chain analysis, market assessments and feasibility studies for high-impact sectors, including agriculture, energy and light manufacturing.
• Financial Systems Advisory: Technical assessments of banking and non-banking financial sectors, with particular attention to liquidity, stability and access to finance.
• Islamic Microfinance Support: Design of Shari’ah-compliant financing products and governance frameworks to support the recovery and expansion of microfinance.
• SME Operational Resilience: Technical assistance, training and capacity building to help small and medium-sized enterprises respond to operational, financial and market constraints.

Strategic Research

Biruni Consultancy will also undertake applied research and advisory work designed to support better policy, programme and investment decisions. Areas of work will include:

• Socio-Economic Assessments: Country, sectoral and project-level analysis of economic conditions, power dynamics, market structures and stakeholder incentives to inform policy and private-sector strategy.
• Vulnerability and Resilience Mapping: Provincial and micro-level studies of poverty, rural livelihoods, household vulnerability and resilience, with specialised attention to economic reintegration and livelihood pathways for returnees and internally displaced people.
• Project Evaluation & Learning: Mid-term and end-line evaluations, impact assessments and lessons documentation to strengthen programme effectiveness and institutional learning.
• Strategic Advisory: Support for programme design, aid effectiveness, implementation strategy and risk-mitigation frameworks for development partners.

Through Biruni Consultancy, we aim to connect rigorous research with practical implementation, helping organisations understand complex environments, design stronger interventions and make better-informed decisions.

The launch marks a new phase in Biruni Institute’s work, expanding our ability to move from research and analysis into applied advisory, implementation and evaluation support.