The spokesperson for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has said that since the beginning of the current solar year, this ministry has signed three major contracts valued at $1.2 billion.
According to the ministry spokesperson, Homayoon Afghan, these contracts cover salt, gas, and cement extraction and were signed with both domestic and foreign companies.
Homayoon Afghan told “This year, we have contracts with companies from Uzbekistan and Turkey in the gas and cement sectors, and previously with companies from Iran, Turkey, and China in oil, gas, copper, and gold. Other foreign companies are also interested, but we have not yet signed contracts with them.”
Officials in the caretaker government have repeatedly stated that the necessary facilities for investment by domestic and foreign companies in Afghanistan have been established, and investor interest in working in the country has increased.
The Chamber of Industries and Mines said that investing in mines is crucial for the country’s economic growth and development.
According to officials in this chamber, investments in cement and gas production could lead the country to self-sufficiency in these two sectors.
Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, First Deputy of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines, told TOLOnews, “Afghanistan’s mines and gas reserves, amounting to thousands of billions of cubic meters, are economically viable and beneficial for Afghanistan.
Moreover, we have several cement mines, of which one or two are active.”
Economic analyst Ahmad Firdaws Behgozin said: “Proper extraction and processing of Afghanistan’s mines can positively impact the correct and global sale of these resources.”
In the past three years, the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has frequently met with investors and representatives from countries including China, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia to discuss investment and opportunities in this sector.