KABUL (SW) – The Islamic Emirate claims that significant investment opportunities have now been created in various sectors, and as a result, neighbouring countries, particularly China and Russia, are keen to expand their investments in Afghanistan.
The de-facto government officials mentioned that a group of Russian investors, during a meeting on Sunday with Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Economic Deputy Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate, expressed interest in investing in Afghanistan’s infrastructure, industry, trade, transport, agriculture, railways, and healthcare sectors.
Hamdullah Fetrat, the deputy spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, stated that Abdul Ghani Baradar reassured investors that Afghanistan is now offering excellent investment opportunities across various sectors, and all investors will receive comprehensive support.
“In this meeting, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar emphasized that Afghanistan is now a wealthy country with great investment prospects. He called on both domestic and foreign investors to come to Afghanistan and invest in different sectors,” he added.
Officials from the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum have reported the interest of Chinese investors in Afghanistan’s oil extraction industry.
Homayun Afghan, spokesperson for the ministry, revealed that a contract has recently been signed with a Chinese company for the extraction of oil from 18 wells in the Amu Darya basin.
“We currently have 24 active wells in the region, producing 1,350 tons of crude oil daily. The contract for 18 additional wells includes two exploration wells and five wells for maintenance. Once these wells are operational, daily production is expected to reach 2,000 tons,” he said.
Economic experts view the growing investments from major powers, particularly China and Russia, as a promising opportunity to encourage investments from other countries in Afghanistan.
Eraj Faqiri, an economic analyst, stated: “This is encouraging for promoting domestic products and creating a positive export market for Afghanistan, and in some ways, it leads to the economic recognition of Afghanistan.”
While China and Russia have not formally recognized the Islamic Emirate, they have established diplomatic relations and engaged in trade and investment activities with Afghanistan over the past three years.
