Business

Afghanistan Seeks Practical Phase of TAPI Gas Pipeline Project

Published

7 years ago

July 6, 2017

(Last Updated On: October 24, 2022)

Afghanistan is making efforts to pave the way for the practical phase of the multi-billion dollars Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project.

Kabul organized a conference on TAPI on Thursday under the theme of “TAPI: Impact on Economic Development in Afghanistan and the Region”.

The conference focused on TAPI project progress, activities, future plans and discussed the importance of the project from an economic point of view both at the national and regional levels including its implications for economic development and regional connectivity.

Addressing the conference, the Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum called implementation of the project very useful for the regional economic cooperation.

“TAPI is having multi-dimensional significance in the country, it creates opportunities and meets the countries requirement for natural gas. It is also very effective for strengthening the regional cooperation,” said Narges Nehan Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Afghan security forces to maintain security for the implementation of the project.

“TAPI is an important regional corridor, this is a project toward peace. Challenges in the region must not prevent the implementation of this project, said Adela Raz, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Cooperation.

Turkmenistan officials also emphasized on the security issues and the challenges ahead.

“I emphasize for the security of this important pipeline, most of these activities needs to be done this year and it needs to be finalized before October or November, said Muhammetmyrat Amanov, CEO of TAPI Pipeline Company Limited.

Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) asks the government to give a major role to the private sector in the practical phase of the project.

“I hope these contracts is going to be signed with the private sector of the country, because we speak the same language and we are very familiar with the geography. So, we can implement the projects very well,” said Khan Jaan Alokozay Deputy of the ACCI.

The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Natural Gas Pipeline (TAPI) Project aims to export up to 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year through a proposed approximately 1,800-kilometer (km) pipeline from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The project has remained a top priority including under the RECCA over the past decade.

By Samira Zafari & Hesamuddin Hesam

Business

Export volume totals over $140 million in last month of 1402

Published

2 days ago

April 17, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: April 17, 2024)

The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) confirmed Tuesday that in the last month of solar year 1402, (March 2024) Afghanistan’s exports totaled $141.1 million and imports totaled $789.6 million.

This was down from $174 million for exports in the same period in 1401. However, imports increased by $99.2 million in 1402, up from $690.4 million.

Most exports in the last month of 1402 went to Pakistan, India and the United Arab Emirates, while in the last month of 1401 exports went to Pakistan, India and China.

Business

Afghanistan-Kazakhstan chamber of commerce opens in Herat

Published

4 days ago

April 15, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: April 15, 2024)

The Ministry of Interior said the governor of Herat province Islam Jar met with Alim Khan Yasin Gildaye, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Afghanistan, to discuss various issues around trade.

According to the ministry, the two sides discussed the expansion of trade facilities, increasing the volume of trade exchanges between traders of the two countries, reducing customs tariffs, solving the challenges of traders and issuing visas to them.

The Afghanistan-Kazakhstan Chamber of Commerce has been opened in Herat in order to facilitate and increase trade between the two countries.

Business

Afghanistan reaches self-sufficiency in production of 133 items: MoIC

Published

6 days ago

April 13, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: April 13, 2024)

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) says Afghanistan has reached self-sufficiency in 45 sectors and the production of 133 items, and that the ministry is striving to change Afghanistan from an importing country to an exporting one.

The ministry officials said that for this purpose, supporting domestic products and attracting investment is essential.

The ministry’s spokesman Abdul Salam Jawad Akhundzada emphasized increasing the use of domestic goods and products in government and national projects and added that efforts have also begun to find a market for domestic products inside and outside the country.

“We have reached self-sufficiency in 133 items of production, which is 45 sectors, and also we reached the capacity of semi-self-sufficiency in 95 items of production, which is 27 sectors,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Industries and Mines (ACIM) says over the past two and a half years, more attention has been paid to the development of domestic production and it is also expanding.

The chamber officials stressed expanding the culture of using domestic products in government projects.

“I think that the government is one of the biggest consumers in the market if it uses domestic products in all its development projects,” said Abdul Nasir Rashtia, a member of ACIM.

Economic experts also said that if the use of domestic products in government projects increases, Afghanistan will quickly move towards economic independence.