The Ministry of Finance says that since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) came into power, exports of coal have increased significantly.

According to a ministry spokesman, 16 billion Afghanis worth of coal has been exported in the past six months, with more than three billion Afghanis having flowed into government treasury.

A ministry spokesman said coal is an important source of revenue and that the ministry does prioritize this sector.

“In the last six months, we have earned more than three billion Afghanis from coal exports, and we want to make it easier to have more revenue in this area,” said Ahmad Wali Haqmal, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance.

The Ministry of Finance has also provided facilities for the export of coal at customs offices. Some members of the private sector say that national traders are also interested in investing in the sector and in coal-generated power.

“Our country’s investors are trying to invest in coal energy production, and we have a high capacity in this sector and we have measures for that,” said Shirbaz Kaminzada, head of the Chamber of Industries and Mines.

According to economists in Afghanistan, there are many areas for investment in energy production, and if the Islamic Emirate can attract investors, Afghanistan will soon enter a new phase of economic growth.

A contract for the regulation and management of the country’s four airports was signed with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday, the Afghan Civil Aviation Authority (ACAA) said.

The agreement was signed between Hamidullah Akhundzada, acting head of the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, and Razzaq Aslam, CEO of GAAC, a UAE based consortium with specialist expertise in airport management.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhowa, Acting Minister of Information and Culture, and other government officials attended the signing event.

The agreement comes as Turkey and Qatar have been negotiating with Islamic Emirate officials for months to manage Afghanistan’s international airfields, however, the negotiations stalled when the IEA opposed requests for foreign forces to secure the airports.

The airports involved are Kabul, Herat and Kandahar.

The company will be responsible for unloading and loading of planes after landing and before takeoff.

At the signing ceremony, the First Deputy Prime Minister called on international investors to invest in Afghanistan, and said the Islamic Emirate is committed to providing them with the necessary investment opportunities.

At the signing ceremony of the contract, the First Deputy PM Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said that the IEA is working hard to strengthen the country’s economy.
“With this contract, all international airlines will start their flights to Afghanistan in a safe and reliable environment, and it will help us to increase trading and business with other countries,” Baradar said.

Ministry of Transport officials say the company will provide ground-based services in line with international standards, leading to an increase in international flights.

However, the Deputy Prime Minister says that flights into and out of Kabul will soon increase and Afghanistan’s revenue will increase through air corridors.

Pakistan has decided to reopen several additional border crossings with Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq said on Monday.

“The crossings are to facilitate economic activity and regulate the visitors,” Sadiq tweeted.

According to Sadiq Arandu between Chitral and Kunar and Benshahi between Lower Dir and Kunar are the first two crossings of the series to be made operational.

Sadiq said these crossings are in addition to five fully operational border crossings of Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Kharlachi, Angoor Adda and Chaman-Spin Boldak and one partially opened, Dalbnadeen, crossing.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not yet commented.