Business
SIGAR issues pessimistic economic forecast for Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s economy suffered severe contraction in 2021, with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and IMF estimating up to a 20–30 percent drop, the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported.
According to SIGAR’s latest report, annual per capita income is estimated to have fallen from $650 in 2012, to $500 in 2020, and is expected to drop to $350 by 2022.
SIGAR stated that male unemployment in Afghanistan may nearly double from 15.2 percent in 2019 to 29 percent by 2022.
“In the worst-case scenario modeled by the Asian Development Bank, unemployment could increase by more than 40 percent in the short run and household consumption could contract by 44 percent,” read the report.
The devaluation of the afghani has also impacted the Afghan economy and further diminished Afghan households’ ability to purchase food and
other necessary items, because much foreign trade was settled in US dollars.
Since August last year, the afghani has depreciated against the US dollar, from approximately 77 afghani to the dollar to around 105 as of January
2, 2022.
SIGAR also reported that adding to the pressure on the country’s limited cash reserves, Afghanistan lacks the technical capabilities to print its own currency.
According to SIGAR, the IEA has not yet secured or developed a domestic printing source for afghani banknotes.
SIGAR reported that Afghanistan’s largely cash-based economy has continued to struggle with an acute cash shortage since November, which has limited day-to-day economic activities.
“Banks are at the center of a liquidity crisis, with lost access to international financing and depositors attempting to recover their funds,” read the report.
According to a UNDP report, Afghanistan’s banking system is in “existential crisis.” Total deposits had fallen to the equivalent of $2 billion as of
September 2021 from $2.8 billion the month.
As the Afghan economy has struggled to find areas of sustainable economic growth in recent years, the country has increasingly relied on remittances from Afghans working abroad, especially in neighboring Iran.
By 2019, remittances accounted for the equivalent of 4.3 percent of Afghanistan’s annual GDP, an increase from 1.2 percent in 2014, according to World Bank data.
However, officials from the UN’s International Organization for Migration estimate this figure could have been as high as 15–20 percent, given that many remittances are sent through the informal hawala money-transfer system.
According to officials at Médecins Sans Frontières, with the absence of a functioning banking sector, many NGOs have also been forced to rely on
hawalas to pay expenses within Afghanistan.
In November 2021, the IEA announced a complete ban on the use of foreign currency in Afghanistan, interfering with remittance activities and
worsening the country’s liquidity crisis.
However, SIGAR reported that indicators suggest that the currency ban is not being actively enforced against the US dollar, which continues to be widely used in Afghan markets.
The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening bilateral trade, investment, and business cooperation between India and Afghanistan.
The agreement was signed in New Delhi by Saurabh Sanyal, Secretary General of ASSOCHAM, and Sayed Mohammad Karim Hashemi, Chairman of ACCI, during a meeting between business leaders from the two countries, ASSOCHAM said in a statement.
The Afghan delegation, led by Hashemi, held discussions with Nirmal Kumar Minda, President of ASSOCHAM, and other officials on ways to expand bilateral trade, investment flows, and private-sector cooperation.
According to ASSOCHAM, the MoU seeks to strengthen institutional collaboration, promote business-to-business linkages, and facilitate greater trade and investment opportunities between India and Afghanistan.
The organization said it remains committed to fostering stronger economic ties and creating new avenues of cooperation between the business communities of both countries.
Kazakhstan has signed a major zinc ore supply agreement with an Afghan company as the two countries continue to expand economic cooperation and trade ties.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration, the contract was signed between Kazakhstan’s ShalkiyaZinc and Afghanistan’s Afghan German Bakhtar Company during the opening of the Kazakhstan Trade House in Kabul.
The signing took place as part of an official business mission led by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy, Serik Zhumangarin.
Under the agreement, Afghan German Bakhtar Company will supply approximately 30,000 tons of zinc ore annually on DAP (Delivered at Place) terms. The ore will be used as raw material for the production facilities of Kazakhstan’s Kazzinc. The total value of the contract is estimated at $18.88 million.
The deal marks a significant step in diversifying trade relations between Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, moving beyond traditional agricultural exports into the mining and industrial sectors.
“Afghanistan today is a market of opportunities,” said Kanat Kudaibergen, Chairman of the Board of GWM Capital LTD. He noted that while Kazakhstan’s exports to Afghanistan have historically consisted mainly of flour, grain, sunflower oil, and other agricultural products, demand is increasingly growing for machinery, equipment, and service solutions in agriculture, construction, and mining.
Kudaibergen expressed confidence that the newly established Trade House in Kabul would serve as an important platform for developing new business projects and expanding Kazakhstan’s non-resource exports.
The agreement follows recent discussions between Kazakh officials and Afghanistan’s leadership, including Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund and Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar, during which Kazakhstan expressed interest in sourcing zinc ore from Afghanistan.
Preparations for the deal began last year when specialists from Tau-Ken Samruk visited Afghanistan’s Bamyan province to assess the Pami-Kakrak zinc deposit. Samples collected during the visit were later analyzed by Kazzinc, which confirmed the feasibility of processing the ore at Kazakh facilities.
Economic relations between the two countries have been steadily strengthening. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of National Economy reported that bilateral trade reached $541.8 million in 2025. Both governments have set an ambitious target of increasing annual trade turnover to $3 billion in the coming years.
Business
Afghanistan officials call for investment during Indian expo visit
The event brought together officials and business representatives from more than 80 countries, showcasing agricultural, industrial, and construction products across 350 exhibition booths.
Sayed Karim Hashemi, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI), has traveled to India to participate in the Bharat Buildcon International Exhibition, one of the country’s largest construction and infrastructure expos.
The event brought together officials and business representatives from more than 80 countries, showcasing agricultural, industrial, and construction products across 350 exhibition booths.
On the sidelines of the exhibition, Hashemi held meetings with Indian and international investors, business leaders, and private sector representatives to discuss expanding economic cooperation and investment opportunities in Afghanistan.
He highlighted Afghanistan’s vast reserves of construction raw materials and mineral resources, encouraging Indian and international companies to invest in the country’s mining, construction, and manufacturing sectors.
Accompanied by Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India, Noor Ahmad Noor, and Health Attaché Sayed Emad Hashemi, the ACCI chairman also visited the booths of several leading global companies.
During his visit, Hashemi toured a major traditional medicine manufacturer and emphasized the importance of expanding bilateral trade in medicinal herbs and agricultural products between Afghanistan and India.
He noted that growing demand for construction materials, combined with Afghanistan’s abundant natural resources, positions the country as an attractive destination for foreign investment, particularly from Indian companies.
گفتگوی ویژه با پولیک اوک سری، نماینده و رئیس دفتر مقابله با مواد مخدر و جرایم سازمان ملل متحد در افغانستان
TAPI project sees rapid progress in Afghanistan
Ashura observed across Afghanistan with calls for unity and justice
Afghanistan records historic 95% drop in opium production: UNODC
Karzai marks Ashura, calls for unity and national progress
Norway’s Viking-inspired World Cup team photo goes viral
Afghanistan, Russia sign military cooperation agreement
Afghanistan expands oil production as investment in Amu Darya fields grows
TAPI project advances in Afghanistan as 84kms of pipeline laid
Afghanistan’s trade with Central Asia records sharp growth
گفتگوی ویژه با پولیک اوک سری، نماینده و رئیس دفتر مقابله با مواد مخدر و جرایم سازمان ملل متحد در افغانستان
Tahawol: Germany’s defense of engagement with IEA discussed
Saar: Rejection of security threats from Afghan soil discussed
Tahawol: Efforts to eliminate drugs across Afghanistan discussed
Saar: Brussels meeting and discussion on Afghan refugees discussed
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