
Dr Amjad Saqib
Philanthropist & Founder, Akhuwat
Originally hailing from the Civil Services of Pakistan, Dr Amjad Saqib is the founder and Chairman of Akhuwat, the worls's largest interest-free microfinance programme, that has disbursed over Rs 232 billion to around 4 million poor families in Pakistan and launched Pakistan’s first free university, the Akhuwat College University. He is also Chairman Punjab Development Network (PDN) which is a cluster of more than 160 development and charity organisations, working for social and economic development. He is Executive Director of Fountain House – an institute of treatment and rehabilitation for the mentally challenged. He is Vice Chairman Punjab Educational Endowment Fund and Chairman Pakistan Educational Endowment Fund, an initiative of the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Dr Saqib received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, popularly known as Asia’s Nobel Prize in 2021, 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 recipient of the Social Entrepreneur of the year award for 2018 by World Economic Forum (WEF) and Schwab Foundation and Commonwealth’s 31st Point of Light award by Queen Elizabeth II in 2018, amongst others. The President of Pakistan bestowed on him the Sitara-a-Imtiaz (2011) and Hilal-i-Imtiaz (2023), two of the most prestigious civil awards of Pakistan. He also received the Rotary International's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
He has also served as the Chairperson for the Benazir Income Support Programme, one of the largest social safety and welfare programmes in the world. He is author of ten books and an acclaimed speaker who has spoken at the UN, Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge and many other prestigious institutions throughout the world. He is among those few Pakistanis who have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Award.