Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

The US to Support Afghans for Mineral Deposits

Minister of Mines, Wahidullah Shahrani, has said the United States is helping Afghanistan to explore and develop its mining sector. While addressing a joint press conference with the US Ambassador in Mazar-e-Sharif capital of Balkh province he said World Bank is going to provide $23 million for a sulfur factory in Jawzjan.

Afghanistan economic future depends on the development of our mining deposits. Our country is rich with minerals, but yet unexplored due to the security problems and our weakness in technology and labor skills. Mining is going to be a very important sector of Afghan economy in near future. The economic prospect of the country depends on whether we get proper use of our resources and attract investors to explore them or not, as it has been until now.

Last year a report by the Pentagon reported about the trillion dollars mineral resources of Afghanistan. We have huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium.
Currently mining is the booming sector of world's fastest growing economies. Our mineral deposits could, if managed by the Government properly, prosper the newborn economy and make Afghanistan stand on its own feet. Of course we need the support of international community in this regard, as our experts are unskilled.

We need the support of international community and our allies to help Afghanistan explore and develop our rich mineral deposits. The US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry said the United States will help Afghanistan to explore and develop its mining sector. He added that the US would provide $40 million for a long-term project to develop and extract mines.
The Afghan Government's management and exploration of these mines need the support of our allies as such the projects announced by Ambassador Eikenberry.

Particularly, in the wake of international military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Government needs to pace up speed of the exploration and start of operations of our mineral deposits. The current Afghan economy is more like an artificial bubble showing inconsistent growth rate with difference of 7/30 percents in last two years. Inflation will cause serious problems. The Government should launch work and process for exploration.