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Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib is a Pakistani social entrepreneur, development practitioner, and author who founded Akhuwat, the world's largest interest-free microfinance programme, in 2001. Based on the Islamic principle of Qarz-e-Hasna, Akhuwat has disbursed hundreds of billions of rupees to millions of families. He is a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called Asia's Nobel Prize.
Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib is a visionary Pakistani social entrepreneur, development practitioner, author, and former civil servant whose life's work has redefined philanthropy in Pakistan. As the founder and Chairman of Akhuwat, he pioneered a model built on trust, compassion, and the Islamic principle of Qarz-e-Hasna, interest-free loans designed to restore dignity rather than create dependency. His achievements have earned him some of the world's most prestigious humanitarian honours, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award, widely regarded as Asia's Nobel Prize.
Born in Kamalia, Punjab, in 1957, Dr. Saqib trained as a medical doctor at King Edward Medical College and studied at Government College University, Lahore, and American University in Washington DC. He began his career as a civil servant before dedicating his life to social development. In 2001, he founded Akhuwat with a single interest-free loan of just Rs. 10,000, an act of trust that would grow into a national movement. What began as a small initiative has become the world's largest interest-free microfinance programme, disbursing hundreds of billions of rupees to millions of families across Pakistan, with a loan repayment rate close to 100 percent that has repeatedly demonstrated the trustworthiness of the poor when given a fair chance.
Dr. Saqib's mission extends well beyond financial access. Through Akhuwat College University, Pakistan's first fee-free university with merit-based admissions, he has opened the doors of quality higher education to talented students regardless of their financial background, proving that opportunity, not charity, is what truly transforms lives. His work also spans broader development efforts, including clean water, sanitation, health, and community uplift initiatives. He additionally serves as Executive Director of Fountain House, an institution for the treatment and rehabilitation of people with mental health challenges, reflecting the breadth of his commitment to human dignity.
Dr. Saqib's impact has earned him wide national and international recognition. In addition to the Ramon Magsaysay Award (2021), he has received Pakistan's Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-e-Imtiaz, was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum and the Schwab Foundation, and received the Islamic Economy Award presented by the Crown Prince of Dubai. He was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and has shared his insights on global platforms including the United Nations and leading universities. Through his books and public speaking, he continues to advocate a model of development rooted in compassion, trust, and equity.
At the heart of Dr. Saqib's journey is a simple, powerful belief: that human dignity must be protected and restored. Drawing on the Islamic concept of Mawakhat (brotherhood) and often using places of worship, mosques, churches, and temples, to disburse loans, he built Akhuwat as a model of compassion in action. Through his leadership, Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib continues to inspire a vision of development rooted in trust, inclusion, and hope, both in Pakistan and around the world.
Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib is a Pakistani social entrepreneur, development practitioner, and author who founded Akhuwat, the world's largest interest-free microfinance programme, in 2001 with a single Rs. 10,000 loan. Built on the Islamic principle of Qarz-e-Hasna, Akhuwat has disbursed hundreds of billions of rupees to millions of families with a near-100% repayment rate, and also runs Pakistan's first fee-free university. A recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, and Hilal-e-Imtiaz, and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, he is globally recognised for restoring human dignity through financial inclusion.
Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib is a Pakistani social entrepreneur, development practitioner, author, and former civil servant who founded Akhuwat, the world's largest interest-free microfinance programme. He is a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called Asia's Nobel Prize.
Akhuwat is the world's largest interest-free microfinance programme, founded by Dr. Amjad Saqib in 2001. Based on the Islamic principle of Qarz-e-Hasna, it provides interest-free loans to millions of poor families to help them build sustainable livelihoods with dignity.
Akhuwat began in 2001 with a single interest-free loan of just Rs. 10,000. From that modest start it grew into the world's largest interest-free microfinance programme, with a repayment rate close to 100 percent.
Akhuwat College University is Pakistan's first fee-free university, founded under Dr. Saqib's leadership, offering quality higher education to talented students on merit, regardless of their financial background.
He has received the Ramon Magsaysay Award (2021), Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the World Economic Forum and Schwab Foundation's Social Entrepreneur of the Year (2018), and the Islamic Economy Award, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022.
Akhuwat is built on the Islamic concept of Mawakhat (brotherhood) and Qarz-e-Hasna (interest-free loans), aiming to restore human dignity rather than create dependency. Loans are often disbursed through places of worship as a symbol of trust and inclusion.
He trained as a medical doctor at King Edward Medical College, Lahore, and studied at Government College University, Lahore, and American University in Washington DC.
