There still aren’t many newsstands in Kabul. And there still aren’t many print newspapers or magazines in circulation to fill those stands — the once-vibrant media industry of Afghanistan was among the many sectors that had suffered through years of conflict. But in the past decade and a half, mass media, especially broadcast sources, has grown from just a fewTaliban-controlled regime outlets to thousands of radio, television, and magazine, and newspaper sources.
Business DNA, a new English-language financial magazine launched by a Kabul-based consulting firm Pearl Horizon, is setting its sights on potential readers with a business interest in stories about growing industries in Afghanistan, hoping a fresh lens will encourage entrepreneurship within the country and investment in new businesses.
Companies based in Afghanistan face physical threats and frequent attacks, making it difficult to run a successful business. These fundamental security issues also discourage investors who see the risks involved in supporting news businesses as insurmountable. High levels of corruption within the Afghan government also present additional hurdles to sustaining a new company.
“Security and political instability always affect everything in Afghanistan, and yet thousands of companies routinely operate here, create jobs, and generate income,” Murtaza Edries, founder and editor of Business DNA, said. Edries, who also the CEO of Pearl Horizon, cofounded the magazine with his consultancy colleagues. “We hope to create meaningful, solutions-oriented, and positive conversations about the challenges across industries while highlighting stories from within the business community. We want to rebrand Afghanistan as a country with active, lucrative, and innovative businesses, and help it move away from its image as an isolated country of conflict.”
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