Uzbekistan: “The most rewarding thing is seeing people flourish”
Motivated by a curiosity for international affairs and desire to see communities thrive, John Smith Fellow Farrukh Irnazarov from Uzbekistan, is working to support sustainable economic development in Central Asia.
Farrukh is CEO and co-founder of two organisations: RANSIF Group, a consultancy for international companies looking to invest in Central Asia, and the Central Asian Development Institute, a think tank. His work is wide-ranging, covering trade and investment, migration, entrepreneurship, the digital economy and green development.
“The Central Asian Development Institute is a regional think tank focusing on all five Central Asian countries,” says Farrukh. “We work on economic development issues, mostly with international organisations like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
“We also create policy briefs with recommendations for key decision makers. And we provide leadership courses for public officials and private sector entrepreneurs.”
Supporting entrepreneurs
One course Farrukh has designed helps participants hone their communication and negotiation skills and learn how to develop a business strategy. More than 3,000 people have completed the training.
Farrukh says: “We train established decision makers from the private sector, government and other sectors, as well as aspiring entrepreneurs. We try to boost their innovation skills and their creativity.
“This course has been extremely popular because it’s interactive. The participants come up with different scenarios. It’s boosting their skill sets and then translating them into real world examples. And we have a mentorship programme, where we try to help them with some of the challenges they face.”
Green entrepreneurship index
Another area the Central Asian Development Institute is seeking to influence, through its policy work, is the nascent green economy.
Farrukh is working on a green development index in Uzbekistan. This will show international investors which businesses are adopting green practices, such as switching to renewable energy and reducing waste and pollution. It will also show Uzbek entrepreneurs the benefits of green business practices.
Farrukh says: “The way the private sector operates in Uzbekistan and Central Asia is directly connected to revenue. People think if you don’t see an immediate profit, then why bother with green activities? We’re trying to show that the greener you get, the better your prospects are to attract international investment.”
Boosting agri-tourism
In Uzbekistan, where agriculture accounts for just under 20% of GDP, Farrukh believes agri-tourism offers a sustainable way for farmers to increase their income. “Agriculture and tourism are traditionally seen as different avenues,” he says. “The idea is to have a perfect marriage between them.
“We had to convey the message to farmers that they may earn extra dollars by doing some agri-tourism activities,” he says. “We researched best practice examples from Italy and the US, where agri-tourism is prominent. Now it’s getting bigger day by day.”
“For me, the most rewarding thing about my work is when I see people flourish and succeed, especially when they come from very difficult conditions. For example, there was a woman we worked with, called Iqlima, who owned some land in the Bukhara region in Uzbekistan. We provided training and an in-kind contribution – a few yurts to host tourists – as part of a USAID project.”
Trees, tourism and jobs
Following the training, Iqlima launched a project to plant more than 2,000 trees and build an agri-tourism business. Her project tackles deforestation and desertification while creating employment opportunities.
Farrukh says: “Iqlima hired some people from neighbouring communities, creating many jobs. She turned this empty piece of land, which literally had nothing, into an agri-tourism location. Now, if you look at the place on Google Maps, it’s a very green area.
“People from all over the world come to stay at this place and have a unique immersion into Uzbek culture. They can enjoy everything from cooking classes to hunting. Iqlima did it all on her own. Whenever I’m in Bukhara, I try to pay her a visit. I’m always fascinated by the things she’s accomplished. She’s an amazing role model.”
Opportunities in digital economy
As Central Asian countries seek to develop international trade opportunities, they’re faced with many challenges. Not least is their landlocked location, sandwiched between sanctioned countries including Russia and Iran. Most land trade routes from the region are too dangerous. The only safe route to Europe – via the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus and Turkey – is too expensive.
The digital economy offers another pathway to economic development. Farrukh says: “Sometimes when you are deprived of one opportunity, another opens. I think digital development is one of those things – and all five Central Asian countries are on board.
“There’s a huge interest in developing IT services and a political will behind it. I think it’s the perfect momentum to transform the region into a digital Silk Road. Uzbekistan’s government has recently completed a programme to train one million young people as coders. Now, we are advocating for a way to connect them with work opportunities.”
John Smith Trust fellowship
Looking back at his John Smith Trust fellowship in 2017, Farrukh describes it as “an amazing journey”. He says: “The major take away was seeing how institutions in the UK function and complement each other. I’ve used that in my work, when referring to best practices and how we can strive for better accountability, achieve transparency and ensure overall credibility of institutions.
“What I really liked about the John Smith Trust is that they allowed flexibility. There were core stakeholders with whom everyone met. But we also met people connected to our interests. Because I’d been working on migration issues, I visited the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies in Omagh in Northern Ireland.”Omagh in Northern Ireland.”
Farrukh’s action plan during his fellowship was to improve governance for migration in Central Asia and support migrants returning from Russia to reintegrate into their communities. He says: “We created entrepreneurship opportunities for 82 returning migrants who were blacklisted in Russia, the traditional destination for labour migrants from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
“We provided training and helped them launch their ideas by providing in-kind contributions, such as sewing machines and equipment for a car repair business. We did not impose what they should do. Instead, we asked them what they were interested in doing and what they needed to launch their activity. Some were able to hire fellow migrants, and many are still active across Central Asia.”
UK and Central Asia trade
Farrukh continues to value the John Smith Trust network and the chance to meet other Fellows from Central Asia. “We’re still in touch after eight years,” he says. “Whenever I go to Central Asian countries, I try to meet them. We’re active on WhatsApp and we’ve even had joint projects.”
The John Smith Trust recently organised a meeting between Central Asian Fellows and Lord Alderdice, the UK’s trade envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia. “It was a brilliant initiative to connect us to Lord Alderdice,” says Farrukh. “For us, it was a chance to meet him and listen to him talk about his mandate and what he hopes to achieve. For him, it was an opportunity to learn from all the Central Asian countries.
“As John Smith Fellows, we have seen how things work both in the UK and in Central Asia. We can connect that with what we should do in terms of digital development, trade and entrepreneurship, and what we can do to raise awareness about opportunities for the UK in Central Asia. There could also be opportunities for Central Asians to invest in the in UK. It can be a two-way relationship. There is a huge potential to boost trade.”