Dr Amjad Saqib appointed BISP chairperson

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has approved the appointment of Dr Amjad Saqib as the Chairperson of Benazir Income Support (BISP) programme.

The President approved the appointment under Section 5 (III) of the Benazir Income Support Programme Act, 2010.

Dr Amjad Saqib is a renowned philanthropist and founder of the largest microfinance platform Akhuwat which provides interest-free loans to the most deserving segments of society

He was recently named ‘Global Man of the Decade’ for his extraordinary contributions during the Global Women Awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom.

In a statement, he said, “Thank you very much all. It is again a pleasure that I am receiving this award in the presence of so many leaders, men and women who are changing this world”.

Dr Amjad Saqib founded the country’s largest interest-free microfinance programme. He was earlier nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work in poverty alleviation.

His organization began in 2001 and nearly two decades later, Akhuwat has grown into the nation’s largest microfinance institution, distributing the equivalent of $900 million to five million poor families and boasting a loan repayment rate of nearly 100 percent.

Dr Amjad was also one of five recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, also known as Asian Noble, for his “first-of-its-kind” interest- and collateral-free microfinance programme, which has helped millions of poor families.