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Press review
The Ministry of Commerce regularly participates in a
number of events, in Afghanistan as well as
internationally, which address private sector
development issues. This includes the recent London
Conference which saw participating countries pledge
over $10 billion USD in further aid to Afghanistan,
and endorse the Afghanistan Compact.
Coverage of the Ministry of Commerce and the Afghan
Government in the media can be viewed as follows:
London Conference
Kabul Expresses
Satisfaction with London Conference Results
President Karzai
speaks about Afghan private sector development in
London
London Conference –
Chairman’s Conclusions
Building on Success
Other International
News
World Bank to assist Afghanistan
Afghanistan Receives
Country of the Year Award from USTDA
Secretary Gutierrez
Makes Surprise Visit to Afghanistan
Recent Conferences in
Afghanistan
Enhancing the Afghan Investment Climate – Workshop
Organised by the Afghanistan Investment Support
Agency (ASIA) and the World Bank, 25 February 2006,
Kabul
Trade and Investment Consultative Group Meeting, 25
February 2006, Kabul
Afghanistan International Chamber of Commerce (AICC)
- Alternative Tax Policy Roundtable, 26 February
2006, Kabul
Commercial Competitiveness Commission of
Afghanistan (CCCA) - 2nd Annual National
Summit: “Obstacles and Solutions to a Competitive
Afghan Economy”, 2 March, 2006, Kabul
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Afghanistan’s Economy – Key Facts and Achievements
The Afghan economy has grown by more than 50% since the end
of the conflict (late 2001). IMF estimates official
(non-opium) GDP growth averaged 22.5% per year between 2002
and 2004; estimated annual GDP growth in 2004-2005 is 7.5%,
while the estimate for 2005-2006 is 14%.
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Investment is increasing – Local firms are steadily adding
to their capital stock; nearly 70 percent of the firms
surveyed by the World Bank reported investing in new
equipment or machinery in the previous year.
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Employment is rising - Afghan businesses surveyed have
increased their employment by 67% over the last 5 years (22%
in last year alone).
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Cutting red tape - Afghanistan has made the process of
registering a business simple and it now ranks 16th in the
World Bank’s Doing Business rankings for starting a
business. This has resulted in a tripling of the number of
business licences issued since the new system’s launch less
than two years ago.
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More effective labour regulations - Significant progress has
also been made with regard to labour regulation, where
Afghanistan ranks 25th in the 2005 Doing Business list -
regulations governing hiring, firing and working hours all
give Afghan firms more flexibility than firms in most other
countries of the world, particularly among its neighbouring
countries.
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Trade and customs - Customs tariffs have been rationalized,
trade and transport agreements have been signed with with
neighbouring countries as well as preferential trade
arrangements internationally. Passage of a customs reform
package makes Afghanistan one of the most open economies in
the region. The government is working towards accession to
the World Trade Organization within the next few years. The
tariff structure has been simplified and the range of
tariffs reduced. As a result, trade has increased
dramatically with the value of annual exports and imports
growing at double digit levels.
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