This year's Forum will be the biggest ever, bringing approximately 400 entrepreneurs, traders, businessmen, policymakers, diplomats and journalists together from across the region as well as from Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and even countries as far afield as Latvia and Estonia. USAID has been a strong supporter of this event from the very beginning.  As with previous Forums, the intent is to strengthen ties among and between South Asia and Central Asia, two important regions that were once inextricably linked but in recent decades have grown apart.

USAID’s Regional Mission in Central Asia and the U.S. Embassy to Kazakhstan (of which USAID is a part) has received inquiries from business owners in Kazakhstan regarding the existence of a small grants program being administered by a Ms. Alina Hakalo of AKELA LLP.  The inquiries indicated that the business owners had signed grant agreements with Ms. Hakalo providing for a small grant funded by USAID to the prospective grant recipient in return for transferring funding to Ms. Hakalo as a down payment. USAID and the Embassy do not solicit payments in connection with our grant programs.  We would also note that USAID’s Regional Mission in Central Asia does not have a project titled “USAID Small Grants Program.” Further, Ms. Alina Hakalo was never been employed by USAID, nor are we aware of any USAID project involving Ms. Hakalo or AKELA LLP. We understand from the inquiries received that this matter has been referred to local authorities in Kazakhstan for handling.