The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s acting minister of commerce and industry, Nooruddin Azizi, says that Afghanistan will not achieve self-sufficiency until an “industrial revolution” occurs in the country.
Speaking on Tuesday, Azizi said at the opening ceremony of a new iron smelting factory in Kabul that the Ministry of Industry and Trade is focusing more on strengthening domestic industries in order to lead the country towards economic self-sufficiency.
This factory was built at a cost of $10 million and 700 jobs have been created.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is committed to supporting the economic strongholds and domestic production of the country, and be sure that we are committed to the development of our production,” said Azizi.
He added that the Islamic Emirate focuses more on domestic industries and provides serious support to investors inside the country.
“I will say clearly that we are committed to providing all-round support to the private sector and we will expand this process,” Azizi added.
Officials from the Ministry of Economy also said the country is moving towards positive economic developments and that the Ministry supports private sector investments.
“We consider the private sector as a strong partner in the country’s economy and we are ready to increase the role of the private sector in the self-sufficiency of the country’s economy,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, the deputy economy minister.
At the same time, the Chamber of Industries and Mines also says that when domestic products and artisans are supported, investment in the country will increase.
“The country’s domestic production has been supported by the Islamic Emirate, but if the support is extended, the private sector will invest more in the country’s production [facilities],” said Sakhi Ahmad Paiman, Deputy Head of the Chamber of Industries and Mines.
“The government, the nation, and the private sector should use domestic products, and the private sector should also produce high quality [goods] in order to solve the existing problems,” said Khan Jan Alkozi, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Investment.
There are currently about 40 factories operating in the iron smelting sector in the country.
