Local authorities in Herat are on the brink of signing a contract aimed at renovating the cement factory, a development that could provide a major impetus to the local economy. The proposed agreement with an Iranian company is now awaiting clearance from the Afghan cabinet.
Local authorities in Herat are on the brink of signing a contract aimed at renovating the cement factory, a development that could provide a major impetus to the local economy. The proposed agreement with an Iranian company is now awaiting clearance from the Afghan cabinet.
According to the provincial authorities, the agreement between the Afghan government and an Iranian company envisages an investment of $300 million in the project. Naqeeb Aroeen, spokesman for the governor of Herat, told Killid that the implementation of the project would create job opportunitiesas well as meet the shortage of cement.
The factory has been idle since it was built in collaboration with the Czech Republic in 1976. Engineer Ghalam Farooq Rahmani, the head of maintenance of the factory, said it was near completion when the project was stopped. “80 percent of it was completed and 20 percent of the equipment was in place. However work on the project was halted before it could be completed”, he explained. During the ensuing chaos of conflict most of the equipment in the factory was looted.
Benefits to locals
Welcoming the renovation project, Rahmani expressed hope that the factory would create jobs for 3000 people and also provide easy access to cement, a key construction material. Right now, construction materials used in building are imported from Iran, Pakistan and Central Asian countries.
Ghulam Rasool, a dealer in construction materials, believes that once such factories are revived, the Afghan market will receive a boost and thousands of people will benefit from it. Jawad Omar, the spokesman for the ministry of Mines and Industries, told Killid that the project proposal and the potential contract with an Iranian company have been sent to the Ministerial Council for validation.
“If we consider its economic aspect, on the one hand it creates jobs for thousands of people and on the other hand it provides people with easy access to construction materials – something that can provide a spurt to the reconstruction process”, said Naseer Ahmad Farahmand, an economist. Farahmand also links this to security, saying that evidence shows that employment opportunities lead to peace. In the current circumstances such projects will be of great advantage and value to the country, he said.
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