A federal program has spent about $90 million over three years on a program to find Afghan women jobs, ultimately placing only 55 women with employers.

That amounts to about $1.6 million per job, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

The program is part of a plan to "promote gender equality" in the Middle East nation.

"The United States Agency for International Development program promised to 'empower 75,000 women' but so far has shown little progress, according to a new report released by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR)," the Free Beacon reported.

"It is unclear whether the agency can deliver the opportunities it promised the women of Afghanistan," the inspector general said.

The program has spent $89.7 million over the first three years. It has been allocated a five-year $216 million fund.

"An end-of-program performance indicator target for one component is for 2,100 women to find new or better employment with the Afghan government," the IG report said. "As of September 2017, USAID said 55 women did."

It's called "Promoting Center Equity in National Priority Programs."

The Free Beacon said a 2017 goal was to help 420 women find new or better work, enroll 1,968 in an internship program and have 900 graduate.

It didn't happen.

Halfway through the year, the report said, 39 women had found new or better work.

USAID, however, remained enthusiastic: "In the Transformation Decade (2015-2024), a new generation of Afghan leaders – both men and women – will emerge who are equipped with the education, skills, and desire to build a brighter future for Afghanistan. Promote is a joint commitment by the U.S. and Afghan governments that will work to empower 75,000 women between the ages of 18-30 and help ensure these women are included among a new generation of Afghan political, business, and civil society leaders," the federal program said.

The program is being funded solely by American taxpayers.

And the IG said that when the funding from the U.S. stops, the program likely will fall to pieces.

The IG said the agency should reassess the program.

Adjustments in future plans would be appropriate, he wrote.