Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, has called on the international community to lift financial and banking sanctions imposed on Afghanistan.

Speaking at a conference in Kabul titled “Attracting Investment and Supporting Afghanistan’s Power Sector,” Baradar said: “From here, I call on the international community, countries, and international financial institutions to end financial and banking restrictions against Afghanistan. These restrictions are not only harmful to us, but also to the region and the world.”

Baradar added that although better investment opportunities now exist in Afghanistan than ever before, financial and banking sanctions have had a negative impact on these opportunities.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, also spoke at the conference, emphasizing that Afghanistan has significant potential for electricity generation and that both domestic and foreign investors can invest in this sector.

“Afghanistan will need 6,000 megawatts of electricity by 2032. At present, the country requires 3,500 megawatts. However, the total amount of electricity currently available in Afghanistan — both produced and imported is only 1,300 megawatts,” said Hanafi.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was also present at the conference, called on both domestic and foreign investors to take advantage of the opportunities created in Afghanistan and expand their investments across various sectors in the country.

The Ministers of Energy from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan announced at the same event that, in addition to developing the energy sector in Afghanistan, they are committed to expanding joint projects in the country and will collaborate in various fields.

The Uzbek Minister of Energy said: “We have projects with Afghanistan in the areas of energy production, electricity transit, and network expansion. We are working to establish joint cooperation with this country in sectors such as trade, transit, and mining.”

The Turkmen Minister of Energy also said: “Over the past two decades, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan have cooperated in various sectors, including energy. We supply electricity to Afghanistan and have major regional economic and transit projects with the country. We will continue our cooperation with Afghanistan in energy production, railways, and other sectors.”

Meanwhile, officials from Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) stated that the purpose of holding this conference was to introduce Afghanistan’s energy investment potential to regional officials and international institutions, and to facilitate investment in the country.

Abdul Bari Omar, Director General of DABS, said: “Our doors are open to all domestic and foreign investors. You are welcome to join us in investing in electricity production, distribution, transmission, and the construction of substations.”

During the conference, DABS officials and several investment companies signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and contracts for the production of 9,407 megawatts of electricity.

The MoUs cover the production of 9,123 megawatts and the development of electricity infrastructure, while the contracts account for 284 megawatts of electricity generation.