Ivo Toniut Services Afghanistan

Afghanistan Mining Potential, Challenges and The Way Forward by Mohammad Ismail Amin - Mining Expert based in Kabul, Afghanistan. This article was originally published on KHAAMA PRESS Afghanistan strategic location is not only of an immense importance but also the tremendous natural resources the country possesses. According to AISA research, there are various types of valuable minerals in Afghanistan that are yet to be unearthed. Afghanistan potential as a rich country in terms of natural resources is of significant to driving the country’s donor dependent economy into a self-sufficient state. Lack of peace, exploitation of minerals by warlords, lack of regulation and infrastructure have not allowed the country to stand on its feet. In this article, I will be looking at the general mining practices around the world and comparing it with Afghanistan and by the same token explain how the challenges that jeopardizes professional mining in the country. Lack of detailed Geological

Afghan officials said that the practical work on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gaspipeline Project will kick off in 2018. Senior advisor to President Ashraf Ghani on financial and banking affairs said the project will be up and running in 2019. He said three gas distribution centers will be established in Kandahar, Helmand and Herat provinces to benefit from the project. The project will transfer gas from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India via a 1,814 km pipeline. The pipeline will start being constructed in Afghanistan in the first months of the next year. The Afghan government has plans to generate at least 100 megawatts of power by using the TAPI gas. “The TAPI project will provide a total of 33 billion cubic meters of gas to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Afghanistan will take 500 cubic meters of gas during the first 10 years, one billion during the next 10 and 1.5 billion during the subsequent years. There will be three off shoot points within

The ambiguity of US goals, and the dichotomy between American actions and words in Afghanistan have seriously hurt the global credibility of the superpower. In addition to the majority of Afghans, the regional countries which initially backed the military presence of the US-led western coalition in Afghanistan now see the presence with skepticism, and even as a threat to their interests. Although the United States accomplished its goals of intervening in Afghanistan in a very short span after toppling the Taliban regime, it later on created various pretexts to prolong its military presence. Some observers even see continued violence in Afghanistan despite American presence as “American game”. It is widely believed that the United States doesn’t want to fully prevent violence in Afghanistan in a bid to prolong its military presence; therefore, it is meaningless to expect the country to restore peace and stability in Afghanistan. That being the case, Afghanistan has no option, but to s

USAID paid over 300 million dollars for a Power Plant in Kabul no one is using Steps are being taken to resolve Kabul’s electricity shortage problem by increasing output at thermal plant as the residents of Kabul are frustrated due to the lack of electricity every year from October to March 8-10 hours every day. Officials at the Tarakhil thermal power plant said that daily 250 megawatts of electricity will be added to the Kabul electricity grid. According to the officials by providing more fuel to this power plant, its power generation capacity will be doubled. This is the largest thermal power plant in the capital, and was built in the past few years with the help of over 300 million dollars from USAID. The plant consumes about sixty thousand liters of fuel in six hours, in order to produce 250-300 megawatts of electricity. Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat, an energy supplying company, uses the plant in emergency situations and in winter. “In the first step, the Tarakhil thermal po

Today in Kart-e-Char #Kabul City #Afghanistan #InvestInAFG #ForeignCurrency #ExchangeRates #EUR #USD #Afghanis Monday 25 December 2017 http:// IVOTONIUT.COM  

By Kathleen Campbell, VicePresident for Programs at Women for Women International About the author: Kathleen Campbell is the Vice President for Programs at Women for Women International. Prior to WfWI, Campbell was the Senior Deputy Assistant to the Administrator in USAID’s Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs. Campbell, a Harvard Law School graduate, has over two decades of international experience managing development and humanitarian programs. This article was first published on Central Asia Institute ’s Journey of Hope 2017 Magazine. In 2003, I moved to Kabul with my husband and our first child to work with a research institute. Our daughter was six-months old. Like many first-time mothers I knew nothing about looking after a baby. We wanted to hire a nanny who spoke English so I could communicate all my misguided knowledge about baby care. We interviewed a number of young women recommended to us. They had learned English in refugee camps in Pakistan, but they were inex

The Ministry of Energy and Water (MoEW) of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan signed a contract for the construction of the Machalgho dam, in Paktia province, with a Russian company to the value of about USD 23,000,000. Energy and Water Ministry said the dam will be 47 meters high and will be one of the biggest dams in the country. Once complete it will irrigate over 3,000 acres of land. Construction of the dam started seven years ago, however, work came to a halt and the contract with the construction company was cancelled last year after it failed to complete the project on time. The dam has been built on the Jelga River in Paktia province. Work will however start soon by the Russian company that was awarded the contract. “The contract was terminated due to problems in speed and work quality,” at the ministry said. “The Paktia people really wanted this dam to be built and I think their demands will be fulfilled,” a local politician said.

Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) of Afghanistan said that currently Afghanistan’s strategic warehouse capacity for cereal is estimated to be about 270,000 tons and that government warmly welcomes investors willing to invest in the establishment of cereal warehouses, especially for wheat. Afghan officials said that the establishment of storage facilities, especially for wheat, would help cut down on import costs of wheat that comes from central Asia. Kazakh media reported that Kazakhstan wants to invest in the establishment of wheat warehouses in the country. Afghanistan currently imports thousands of tons of wheat from Kazakhstan annually. However officials in Kazakhstan have not lodged an official request regarding investment in the cereal warehouse sector, but Afghan officials said that with the establishment of such storage facilities, Afghanistan will be able to cut down on import costs, especially that of wheat coming in from central As

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen The German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen visited Mazar-e-Sharif City in the northern Balkh province. She said the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan in recent years was too rapid.  The German minister called for a longer-term commitment. Von der Leyen criticized the rapid reduction in forces since the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014 but said the international community had now learned it needed to be more patient, the Reuters reported. "I haven't forgotten how it was at the beginning when we got out of ISAF too quickly with too big reduction in troop numbers," she said. She said everyone knew the security situation in Afghanistan remained tense. She added that Afghans continued to need support, advice and training from foreign soldiers. "There's still a lot to do but I'm convinced that we're going in the right

Today Thu 21 Dec 2017 in a street of the beautiful Herat, Afghanistan  #ForeignCurrency #ExchangeRates 

Азиатский банк развития (ADB) подписал соглашение с правительством Афганистана о предоставлении 360 миллионов долларов США на проекты развития транспорта в республике. Свои подписи под документом поставили заместитель директора АБР по Афганистану Шанни Кэмпбелл и министр финансов Эклиль Хакими. Подписание соглашения состоялось в присутствии президента и других министров, а также депутатов афганского парламента.

In violation of President Ashraf Ghani’s warning, unprocessed marble - also known as white gold of Afghanistan - continues to be smuggled abroad. During his visit to Herat about two years back, President Ghani had promised taking serious steps to prevent the export and smuggling of unprocessed marble from Herat. At a meeting with businessmen, he had said: “I have received a report about the sale of Herat’s marble in Iran. I warn you against selling Afghanistan’s raw marble. I will close any company committing this illegal act.” However, local officials, civil society activists and industrialists in Herat are concerned at the smuggling of raw marble. They say most of the stone is trafficked in raw and semi-processed form to Iran. Mohammad Anwar Rahmani, the Herat customs head, confirmed to Pajhwok Afghan News the smuggling of Herat marble. He said the stone was transported through Taliban-controlled areas or other routes where government’s writ was weak. “If the smuggling of raw and

Almost 80 percent of marble companies in the country are on verge of a financial recession because of the non-extension of semi-precious stones contracts, officials from the Stone Industry Union said. The contracts for the extraction of stone have not been extended for the past three years, officials said, adding that the situation has stopped the process of extraction of marble and has led to an increase in the illegal extraction of the stone. Marble factory owners have said that currently, only around 20 percent of marble factories are operational in the country. “They are not allowing us to produce the marble legally, so it forces us to resort to illegal ways. They have created the situation themselves. Either the government is a thief or it has links with them,” said Nematullah, Chairman of the Stone Industry Union. According to the Union, the body is suffering a loss of over 400 million Afs annually due to the ambiguity that surrounds the contracts for the extraction of marbl

Head of Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority was questioned by lawmakers on Monday 18 December 2017 over alleged corruption in appointments, collection of revenues and other problems. Qais Hasan, the Head of parliamentary Commission for Communications, said that THERE IS NO TRANSPARENCY in contracts made by the authority and that its officials are working for personal interests. Mr. Mahmood Shah Habibi, Head of CAA He said that the appointments in the authority are made based on connections rather than merit. He added that weak management at the authority is one of the reasons why Afghan airlines are on EU blacklist. Meanwhile, Mohammad Hassan Fahimi, an MP representing Sar-i-Pul province in the Lower House, said that the government limited the parliament’s monitoring of Civil Aviation Authority by making it independent. Earlier, a list of Civil Aviation Authority personnel went viral on social media, which showed that majority of the personnel belong to a single ethnic grou

Ways to improve online markets in the country have been discussed at a gathering of government officials and investors in the Afghan Capital Kabul, as many Afghan consumers complain about the high cost of Internet services which is hampering online business.  According to government statistics, at least 30% of Afghan people use internet services, but at a very high cost. “Everyone has become tired of letters and signatures, therefore we established an office under name of Asaan [Easy] through which we want to ease the administrative processes of our public services particularly for investors,” said the minister of communication and information technology. Participants at the event regarded media websites and other internet sites as the main tools for digital marketing. The deputy head of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI), Yunus Mohmand, said companies are faced with many challenges of using the internet for marketing. “The price for internet services is very high.

The lost caravans of the Silk Road in Afghanistan were recently discovered using satellite images. Images of spy satellites are revealing the lost Silk Road outposts and traces of empires that have disappeared in the desert regions of Afghanistan, reveals new research. The new archaeological knowledge comes from decades of images collected by commercial satellites and spies and drones, Science reported. Among the findings are: huge caravanserai, or outposts used by travelers on the Silk Road for millennia, and underground canals that were buried by the desert sands. The archeological sites are too dangerous to explore in person, so the new mapping effort allows researchers to study Afghanistan's archaeological heritage safely, experts said recently at a meeting of the Oriental Research Schools in the United States. "I would expect tens of thousands of archaeological sites to be discovered, only when these sites are registered can they be studied and protected," David Th

Turkmenistan will reduce the price of electricity imported to Afghanistan, according to a statement from Afghanistan CE Abdullah Abdullah’s office. The announcement was made during the meeting between visiting Turkmenistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rasit Meredow with CE Abdullah Abdullah. Turkmen foreign minister said his country’s leadership has decided to sell one unit of electricity against two cents to northwestern provinces of Afghanistan to facilitate people there. The neighboring country will also provide scholarships to Afghan students for higher studies in energy and transport disciplines. The two parties also discussed Azuru Corridor and the Kabul process during their meeting. Abdullh thanked Turkmenistan for its continuous support and said Afghanistan was looking forward to more cooperation with the neighboring country in energy and transit areas. >>> READ ORIGINAL ARTICLE on Wadsam.com

Today in #Kabul Province, #Afghanistan   #InvestInAFG #ForeignCurrency #ExchangeRates #EUR #USD #Afghanis Thursday 14 December 2017

Kevin e Dazz erano di stanza in Afghanistan, nella provincia di Helmand, al seguito delle truppe britanniche. Hanno salvato centinai di vite aiutando i soldati a individuare mine ed esplosivi. Poi quattro anni fa sono andati in pensione e sono rientrati in Gran Bretagna. Da allora sono ospitati in un centro ad hoc, nel Leicestershire. Adesso le autorità hanno deciso di sopprimerli: «Non possono essere affidati a nessuna famiglia, sono pericolosi». Come raccontano i media britannici, Kevin e Dazz saranno soppressi la prossima settimana. Ma gli ex colleghi dei due pastori belgi, i militari che li hanno avuti al loro fianco in missione, stanno tentando di salvarli. Per questo hanno scritto un appello al Defence Animal Centre. «Le persone che hanno lavorato a stretto contatto con questi cani sono devastati dalla notizia che i due animali verranno uccisi. Non esiste un protocollo per decidere se ex cane militare deve essere soppresso o no – spiegano i veterani – Il comandante decide e ba

Omid Bahar, a juice production factory in Kabul, is trying to export Afghanistan juice to India and other central Asia markets.  Factory employees say Afghanistan’s fruit is of good quality and demands for the country's juice are on the rise in domestic and world’s markets. Omid Bahar is now trying to grow its investments to make this possible. Pakistan has increased custom charges on Afghanistan juice up to 60 percent and that it prevents Afghanistan juice from being exported to that country, the official said.  The factory was established seven years ago with a low capacity of fruit processing, but now they can produce 200,000 liters juice and milk daily, say employees.  “Last year, the market for our products was less, but this year it is good, it is improving,” a technical employee of the factory Ali Reza said. The owner of Omid Bahar factory, Abdul Rahman, said this year they were able to change thousands of tons of fruits to powder and then use the powder for making juice.

The Ministry of Mine and Petroleum (MoMP) of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan says it is worried that terrorists and insurgents might extract minerals from several mines of the Country, including gold, uranium and other rare metals.

Farming innovations improve livelihoods and incomes  in Afghanistan’s Balkh Province BY AHMAD FAHIM JABARI   - North Regional Coordinator Ahmad Fahim Jabari works as the North Regional Coordinator for the National Horticulture and Livestock Project (NHLP) based in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh - Afghanistan. A graduate from the agriculture faculty of Balkh University, Jabari has been associated with the project since 2009. Every working day, I work closely with my colleagues and coordinate with other stakeholders. I am happy with my job as a member of the National Horticulture and Livestock Project (NHLP) because we work to strengthen rural development, the foundation of Afghanistan’s economy. When I joined NHLP as the information and communication officer in 2009, I realized that farmers in northern Afghanistan were all but unaware of improved practices and technologies in horticulture, livestock, and irrigation systems. Their production and productivity were low, and maintaining con

The US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in Afghanistan released the implementation results of a two-year food fortification project in Afghanistan on Sunday, 10th of December. The document, released during a stakeholders’ workshop, highlights the achievements, challenges, and lessons learned during the life of the project. USAID’s $9.7 million commitment aimed to increase availability and access to essential vitamins and minerals—also known as micronutrients—through fortified edible oil, wheat flour, and iodized salt by laying a strong foundation for a sustainable fortification program. More than 70 percent of the energy intake of Afghans is grain-sourced, and an average Afghan consumes around 400 grams of wheat flour bread daily—three times higher than the average world consumption. “This project is of critical importance,” said USAID Health Office Director in Afghanistan, William

For almost a year, more than half of Afghanistan’s cabinet members were in an acting minister capacity only, putting their legitimacy into question. In late November 2017, the President finally had 12 minister candidates introduced to parliament. They faced votes of confidence on 4 December 2017. All but one – the only woman – passed. Now, just three ministries remain to be led by acting ministers, with another ministry in an unresolved status. SOURCE: http://afghanstudiescenter.org/2017/12/11/eleven-minister-candidates-receive-votes-of-confidence-in-afghanistans-constitutional-cabinet/ The vote in the Wolesi Jirga Previous votes of confidence in the Wolesi Jirga have been protracted, controversial affairs (see AAN analysis here ). But this time, almost everything went quickly and smoothly. 12 candidates were introduced to the house by Second Vice President Sarwar Danesh on 25 November 2017. On 4 December, 11 of the 12 were voted into full office within hours. Among them were cand