A development practitioner, public servant, philanthropist and founder of Akhuwat. His expertise includes poverty alleviation initiatives, social development, governance, and educational reform.
Originally hailing from the Civil Service of Pakistan, Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib is the founder and Chairman of Akhuwat, the largest interest-free microfinance program in the world. Through its programs, Akhuwat has disbursed over Rs. 309 billion to around 3.5 million poor families across Pakistan and has launched Pakistan’s first fee-free ‘Akhuwat College University’ among other initiatives in education, community development, and inclusion of marginalized communities.
Dr. Saqib is also Chairman of the Punjab Development Network (PDN) which is a cluster of more than 160 development and charity organizations, working for social and economic development. He is the Executive Director of Fountain House – a 500-bed institute with indoor and outdoor differently abled patients undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. He is Vice Chairman of the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund and Chairman Pakistan Educational Endowment Fund, a recent initiative taken by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
His areas of expertise include governance, poverty alleviation, microfinance, and rural development. His remarkable achievements in restoring human dignity to Pakistan’s most vulnerable communities have earned him many awards and accolades nationally and internationally including “Ramon Magsaysay Award 2021”, popularly known as “Asia’s Nobel Prize”, the Islamic Economy Award by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Thomson Reuters in 2018. He is also the recipient of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award for 2018 by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Schwab Foundation and the Commonwealth’s 31st Point of Light award by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018. He has also been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2014 by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and Thomson Reuters, for his efforts to promote Islamic finance. The President of Pakistan bestowed on him Sitara-e-Imtiaz (2011) and Hilal-a-Imtiaz (2023), two of the most coveted civil awards of Pakistan. In recognition of his significant contribution towards the betterment of humanity, Rotary International, the most prestigious humanitarian organization, presented him with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” in December 2022
The President of Pakistan appointed him Chairperson, Benazir Income Support Programme which is one of the largest social safety and welfare programs in the world where he served from September 2023 until May 2024.
He is the author of ten books and an acclaimed speaker who has spoken at the United Nations, Harvard University, Oxford University, Cambridge University, and many other prestigious institutions around the world. He is among those few Pakistanis who have been nominated for the “Nobel Peace Award”.
Dr. Muhammad Amjad Speaks about Microfinance in Pakistan in an interview at Cambridge University (United Kingdom).
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Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance (AIM) has been the cornerstone of our efforts since its launch in 2001. To date, it has disbursed more than PKR 230 billion in interest-free loans to 4 million families across Pakistan. Beyond microfinance, Akhuwat also works in the field of education under the umbrella of Akhuwat Education Services (AES). With a network of schools and colleges, Akhuwat ensures that children from underserved communities have access to quality education. Other projects include Akhuwat Clothes Bank (ACB), Akhuwat Khwajasira Support Program (AKSP), Akhuwat Relief and Disaster Management Program (ARDM) and Akhuwat Community Development Program. All of Akhuwat’s initiatives work with the common objective of creating a poverty-free and prosperous society.
Before establishing Akhuwat, Dr. Saqib served in the Civil Services of Pakistan in the District Management Group (DMG). He also served as the General Manager of the Punjab Rural Support Program (PRSP). He had witnessed the devastating impact of poverty which encouraged him to dedicate his life to alleviating the suffering of the poor. One of Akhuwat’s initial loans was granted to a widow from Rasool Park where she was presented with Rs. 10,000 (USD 200 at the time) in the form of an interest-free loan. She bought herself two new sewing machines with this amount, earned a decent living, sent her children to school, and married her daughters in a simple wedding ceremony. She returned after 6 months to return the loan along with a request to give this money to someone else in need.
For the first eighteen months, Akhuwat didn’t have a proper office and was managed from a small cabin within the premises of PRSP. However, Mawakhat, the spirit of solidarity, and the commitment of the Akhuwat team persevered. More than two decades later, Akhuwat has disbursed more than PKR 230+ billion and opened offices in 350+ cities in Pakistan. Akhuwat has also spread its roots to other areas of life, such as education, healthcare, community development, and post-disaster rehabilitation.
