Amid an uncertain peace process and the gradual withdrawal of US and NATO forces, Afghanistan’s government has announced a set of measures intended to woo foreign investors to the country, according to Al Jazeera. The incentives include providing land at almost no cost to industrialists, seven-year tax exemptions for factory owners and 10-year, low-interest loans […]
Afghanistan shuts border to US materiel over customs spat
The Washington Post reports that Afghan authorities have prevented US and NATO military shipments from crossing the country’s borders and demanded that the US pay $70 million in fines for failing to submit customs forms. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction warned in a letter to Congress last month that Afghan ministries were seeking […]
Afghanistan agencies reform business licensing process
The ministries and agencies responsible for regulating businesses in Afghanistan say they have “streamlined” the registration and licensing process, reducing the time it takes for Afghan businesses to obtain licenses from one month to two days, according to TOLO News. Muzammil Shinwari, the Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industries, said that with the implementation of […]
Railroads connect, divide Central Asian neighbors
Earlier this month, officials from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan officially launched the effort to build a 400-kilometer railroad connecting the three countries. The new railroad will hypothetically provide producers in landlocked Tajikistan and Afghanistan with a new route to the Caspian Sea, while potentially opening South Asian markets to Turkmenistan and the other states of inner […]
Afghan ministry works to build capacity in the face of uncertainty
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines is seeking the assistance of mining experts from universities in Western Australia in an effort to build a corps of trained Afghan geologists. Afghanistan’s rough terrain hides massive mineral wealth; a shortage of qualified professionals in the mineral sciences and applied fields is only one of the hurdles to resource development […]