Afghanistan Peace CampaignThis conference was organized by the Central Bank of Afghanistan.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, stated on Wednesday at the National Conference on Microfinance Opportunities and Challenges in Kabul that reducing poverty and unemployment, as well as creating job opportunities for citizens, are priorities for the Islamic Emirate.
This conference was organized by the Central Bank of Afghanistan and attended by senior officials from the Islamic Emirate, representatives of the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank, ambassadors, and a number of investors and businesspeople.
In the meeting, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said: “Now more than ever, there is an opportunity to support the general public through financing small sectors and to provide them with job opportunities. Thanks to the security established across the country, transparency is in place, and people fulfill their financial obligations on time without anyone’s rights being infringed.”
Noor Ahmad Agha, acting head of the Central Bank, stated: “Da Afghanistan Bank (central bank) believes that micro-financing is an effective tool to improve financial inclusion and can create a significant difference in the country’s social and economic stability.”
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also remarked that Afghanistan’s economy over the past twenty years was artificial and that now the Islamic Emirate is working to address economic challenges through the launch of infrastructure projects.
The acting Foreign Minister said: “Unfortunately, in the past twenty years, Afghanistan’s economy was inflated, and an artificial economy was in place. The policies and practices of past years cultivated a dependency among the proud people of Afghanistan.”
Nooruddin Azizi, the acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, another speaker at the event, said: “Meaningful and practical cooperation among all stakeholders in the private sector can bring about economic stability and create job opportunities for all.”
Meanwhile, Roza Otunbayeva, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNAMA, stated that women in Afghanistan have limited opportunities for economic development. Otunbayeva urged the acting government officials to support women in Afghanistan.
Roza Otunbayeva added: “Women constitute more than 40% of existence microfinance beneficiaries. Women have limited opportunities for economic development and hence, we need to keep providing them microfinance assistance so that they can have decent leaving. I request authorities to continue to provide priority to women in the microfinance sector.”
During the meeting, two licenses were issued for institutions that finance companies, and eight additional licenses were granted to companies providing small loans to people.