Expo opens in Kabul in bid to help boost local economy

Officials from the ministry of commerce and industry said Monday they are trying to find markets for Afghan products both domestically and in neighboring countries, and that they are looking at ways for Afghan traders to participate at expos.

Speaking at an expo that opened in Kabul on Monday, officials said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) supports the domestic production and manufacturing sector in the hope that the country will in time achieve full economic self-sufficiency.

A number of traders exhibiting at the Kabul expo said that such initiatives can help grow domestic production which in turn will lead to job opportunities.

These traders and economic experts have again called on the IEA to support the production and manufacturing sectors in order to help end Afghanistan’s economic crisis and high unemployment rate.

Khan Jan Alokozay, a member of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) meanwhile said that Afghanistan lacks a permanent expo center and suggested it was time one was established.

“We don’t have an exhibition center in Afghanistan, so I hope that the Commerce and Industry officials in cooperation with the Islamic Emirate should establish a permanent exhibition center in Afghanistan,” he said.