economic overview
Afghanistan is a backward country in agriculture and animal husbandry, and was listed as one of the least developed countries by the United Nations in 1971. After more than 2 years of war, Albania's economy has been severely damaged, especially the transportation, communication system, light and heavy industries, education and agricultural infrastructure, and there is a shortage of production and living materials. More than 6 million people have been exiled abroad and become refugees. Since the establishment of the Afghan Transitional Government, many measures have been taken to stimulate domestic economic reconstruction. Issue new currency, introduce banking law, attract foreign investment, carry out tariff and fiscal reform, strengthen the central government's direct control over local finance, increase central finance, and gradually promote post-war reconstruction. The Afghan government actively uses international aid to restore the hematopoietic function of the domestic economy and vigorously carries out infrastructure construction related to the national economy and people's livelihood, such as transportation, energy and irrigation. At the same time, an investment law was promulgated to encourage foreign businesses to invest in Afghanistan. After years of depression, Afghanistan has gradually begun the process of post-war economic reconstruction. In 24, Afghanistan promulgated two new laws, the Anti-Money Laundering Law and the Law on Combating Financial Terrorism, to regulate the financial market and crack down on the illegal economy. According to statistics, Afghanistan's GDP in fiscal year 23/24 was US$ 4.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 2%. The per capita income is 18 dollars. Currency name: Afghani (ANI for short). On October 7, 22, the Afghan transitional government issued the new currency ANI. The ratio with the old coins is 1: 1.
Afghanistan resources
Afghanistan is rich in mineral resources, but it has not been fully developed. At present, the proven resources mainly include natural gas, coal, salt, chromium, iron, copper, mica and emeralds. Afghanistan may have the richest copper deposits in the world, the fifth largest iron ore vein in the world and 73 million tons of coal. In addition, the natural gas reserves are about 185.2 billion cubic meters and the oil reserves are about 95 million barrels.
Lapis lazuli is a very unique and rare rock, which is composed of blue minerals, an indefinite amount of pyrite, calcite and other minerals, showing a unique deep blue, light blue and pure cyan. It can be used for carving ornaments and making jewelry. The top lapis lazuli is worth about 3 dollars per kilogram, and the worst lapis lazuli is not less than 4 dollars. Lapis lazuli is called a "treasure" by Arab countries. Afghanistan is the most important and famous place of lapis lazuli in the world, and lapis lazuli is known as the "national stone" of the country.
most of the rivers in Afghanistan are inland rivers, which mostly flow into deserts and lakes. The main rivers are Amu Darya, Kabul River, helmand river and Hariru River.
Afghan industry
Years of war have caused the industrial base in Afghanistan to collapse. Light industry and handicraft industry are dominant, and handicraft industry accounts for about 42% of industrial output value. Mainly textiles, fertilizers, cement, leather, carpets, electricity, sugar production and agricultural products processing.
agriculture and animal husbandry in Afghanistan
agriculture and animal husbandry are the main pillars of the national economy in Afghanistan. The population of agriculture and animal husbandry accounts for 67% of the total population in China. Cultivated land accounts for less than 1% of the country's total land area. The main crops include wheat, cotton, sugar beet, dried fruit and various fruits. The main livestock products are fat-tailed sheep, cattle and goats. At present, Afghanistan's opium cultivation reaches 131, hectares, with a population of 2.3 million, and its output value accounts for more than 6% of GDP in 23.
transportation in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a landlocked country with no access to the sea. There are few railways in China. Transportation mainly depends on roads and air. Some sections of the Amu Darya River and Kunduz River on the northern border with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are navigable.
highway: the total length is 21, kilometers, and the pavement is about 2,8 kilometers. 7% was destroyed by the war. At present, the Albanian government is actively cooperating with countries and non-governmental organizations to build highways at all levels. The 482-kilometer Kabul-Kandahar Highway was restored and reopened in December 23. The restoration of important roads such as Kabul-Jalalabad is under way. An agreement has been reached with relevant institutions on repairing Kabul-Herat Expressway and Salang Tunnel.
air transport: at present, there are two airlines. Ariana Airlines is relatively strong, mainly engaged in international routes. At present, international flights to Pakistan, United Arab Emirates and India have been opened, and the route from Kabul to Urumqi was officially opened on July 12, 23. Bakhtar Airlines operates domestic routes. Kabul airport is an international airport.
Afghanistan's foreign trade
Afghanistan has trade with more than 6 countries and regions. The main export commodities are natural gas, carpets, dried and fresh fruits, wool and cotton. The main imported commodities are all kinds of food, motor vehicles, petroleum products and textiles. The main export targets are Pakistan, the United States, Britain, Germany and India, and the main import countries are Pakistan, China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Turkmenistan and India.
foreign aid
the international community has provided a large amount of financial and material assistance to Afghanistan's post-war reconstruction. In January 22, at the Tokyo Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan's Reconstruction, all the participants indicated that they would support the peace and reconstruction process in Afghanistan, and promised to provide a total of $5 billion in aid to Afghanistan's reconstruction. After the Tokyo Conference, the international community made some commitments one after another. At the Berlin Conference on Afghanistan in March 24, the international community promised to provide Afghanistan with $8.2 billion in aid within three years. By September 24, Afghanistan had received 4.828 billion US dollars in aid. At the same time, the international community has provided a lot of basic equipment for the Afghan government in education, health, agricultural irrigation, public transportation, telecommunications, government office and other aspects.
Afghan people live
More than 2 years of civil war have caused great damage to Afghanistan's basic living facilities. Roads are damaged, electricity is scarce, prices are rising, and daily necessities are scarce. Since its establishment, the Afghan government, with the help of the United Nations and international NGOs, has made great efforts to restore basic livelihood facilities, resettle refugees returning to Afghanistan, solve the problem of water and electricity consumption for residents, increase the training of medical personnel and restore school education at all levels. According to the World Bank report, less than 2% of the urban residents in Afghanistan can enjoy tap water supply, which is the lowest country in the world. Basic medical care can only cover 4% of the population, and there is a serious shortage of medical staff, especially female medical staff. Because they are unwilling to be examined and treated by male doctors, the rate of Albanian women enjoying basic medical care is very low. The mortality rate of children under 5 years old in Afghanistan is 172‰, and the infant mortality rate is 115 ‰. 5% of the population suffers from chronic malnutrition; The average life expectancy is 43 years. Backward farming and animal husbandry countries were listed as one of the least developed countries by the United Nations in 1971. The war environment for more than ten years has seriously damaged Albania's economy, and more than 5 million people have been exiled abroad and become refugees.
since the establishment of Karzai's new government in 22, although the economy has developed rapidly and the average annual GDP growth rate has reached double digits, it is not enough to change the poverty of the country and the people because of its low starting point and weak foundation. With the support of the international community, the Afghan government launched a five-year national development strategy in May, drawing a road map for Afghanistan to achieve security, good government governance, economic growth and poverty reduction in the next five years from 28 to 213. In terms of economic and social development, the Afghan government places its hopes entirely on the private economy, and wants to achieve poverty reduction and sustainable economic development by cultivating and building a strong market economy oriented by private enterprises, so as to ensure that Afghanistan has made great progress in implementing the new Millennium Development Goals.
Afghanistan has made remarkable achievements in maintaining macroeconomic stability, and the business activities of small and medium-sized private enterprises tend to increase and be active, but they are mainly driven by the efforts of the international community to assist Afghanistan's reconstruction and large-scale imports. Apart from the telecommunications industry, private enterprises in Albania are generally reluctant to make medium and long-term productive investments, which is partly due to the lack of confidence in the future of private enterprises and the high business and transaction costs caused by the commercial environment in Albania under realistic conditions. In addition, according to the Afghan Ministry of Commerce and Industry, despite the double-digit growth of Afghanistan's international trade, most of its exports belong to imports and re-exports to Pakistan and Iran, and imports are largely supported by international aid and drug economy.
in order to maintain the sustainable development of Afghanistan's economy, it is necessary to bring the recovery economy driven by reconstruction to the economic growth track led by the private economy. Prosperous private economy is very important to promote rural economic development and reduce drug economy. Only by prospering the private economy and promoting the sustainable growth of the private economy based on productive investment can we provide a large number of employment opportunities for the society and the people, create the resources needed by the government in implementing the national development strategy, and benefit the country and the whole society, and there is hope for economic growth and poverty reduction.
in view of the above, the private economy has been regarded by the Afghan government as the hope, expectation and dependence of national development, as well as the engine and power to promote the economic development of the country. While assisting Afghanistan, the international community is also actively urging the Afghan government to attach importance to and develop the private economy.
due to the imperfect statistical system, there is no reliable data on the investment and business activities of private enterprises in Afghanistan. According to the data provided by Afghanistan Investment Promotion Agency, there are more than 15, investment enterprises registered in the agency. According to the information provided by the Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry, there are 25, members of the national industrial and commercial enterprises registered in the Association.
African-American agricultural enterprises are weak, typically informal, run by bosses, and small in scale. There are almost no medium or large enterprises among them. Telecommunications is the only industry with large-scale foreign direct investment and operated by them, while private processing and manufacturing enterprises are basically invisible.
Second, the bad business environment restricts the development of Afghanistan's private economy
After the war, Afghanistan's physical and intangible infrastructure was completely destroyed, and in the reconstruction efforts, a good business environment suitable for the development of the private economy has not yet been established. Due to the lack of appropriate laws and regulations, orderly institutional environment and good government and social public services, most private enterprises or individual businesses still stay at the level of informal economy, which limits the growth of medium and long-term investment and operation, forms counter-measures and pressures to promote healthy commercial competition, and encourages and encourages corruption, which has become a huge constraint factor for the existence and development of Afghanistan's private economy. To sum up, it mainly includes the following: < P > (1) Lack of physical infrastructure. In major cities such as Kabul, frequent power cuts make most enterprises have to rely on expensive self-provided generators to solve the problem of electricity consumption. With the rising and high international oil prices, the burden on private enterprises is getting heavier and heavier. In addition, clean water supply, sanitation facilities, means of communication, roads, airports and border crossing facilities are seriously lacking or dilapidated, which are also important factors that hinder the private economy from participating in formal economic activities and restrict Albania's development of international and regional trade and attracting investment. Infrastructure problems also affect financial services, especially in rural areas.
(2) 7-8% of Afghanistan's private economy is informal. For example, contracts are rarely used and are basically not binding, and the provisions on consumers' and employees' rights are basically ineffective. There are a lot of bureaucratic and government-related obstacles or barriers, and the ability of private enterprises to adapt to the requirements of laws and regulations is limited. Lack of public information and adaptation to various procedures are also endangering the existence and growth of the private economy, leading to Afghanistan becoming a private enterprise.
(3) The business environment is bad. The business environment is still plagued by outdated laws and regulations, vague and contradictory regulations, excessively complicated licensing procedures and rigid trading procedures. In addition to meeting the requirements of establishing a company (which used to be handled by commercial courts, but now it will be handed over to the central registration office that has not yet been established), there are also investment licenses from the Investment Promotion Bureau and business licenses from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, as well as more than 2 sub-licenses issued by many relevant ministries and commissions. The lack of structural competitiveness in Afghanistan's business environment can be reflected in the business index published by the World Bank: among the 175 countries listed, Afghanistan ranks 165th in "loose business" (down from 159th in 26).
(4) The property and land rights and interests are unclear, and the enforcement mechanism is weak, so private enterprises cannot use land as a guarantee to apply for credit. The lack of commercial insurance system, coupled with the turbulent security situation has a negative impact on investment, forming a restrictive factor for the development of private enterprises.
(5) Lack of financial support. It is another major restricting factor for the private economy to operate and develop. In terms of business conditions, Albania ranks 122nd among 155 countries in terms of the convenience of obtaining credit, especially in rural areas.
(6) Lack of effective law enforcement mechanism. The commercial court system has not yet been established, or they lack resources and capabilities or relevant laws, or the laws are incomplete, which are serious risks to the rights and interests of creditors, banks and financial intermediaries. There is no modern regulatory framework for leasing and insurance, and there is no relevant law applicable to non-bank lending.
(7) Corruption continues to be a huge obstacle to investment and trading. In the process of applying for a license, applying for a loan and executing a contract, the widespread corruption in the bureaucracy and the public sector not only causes difficulties for enterprises, but also greatly increases the investment and transaction costs of investment or potential investors, and slows down the transaction process, making it impossible to predict the risks in the process of applying for a license, performing a contract and safeguarding financial rights and interests. In terms of foreign trade, low wages, lack of training and lack of resources of border law enforcement or staff cause or aggravate corruption, which affects the law enforcement of customs and tax authorities, delays in border crossing, complicated procedures and lack of convenience, and trade faces a series of obstacles, which hurts Afghanistan's export competitiveness. In addition, the existence of a large number of small and annoying taxes also adds an extra burden to private or individual operators.
(8) illegal gains from opium pose challenges and impacts on finance.
(9) Afghanistan is seriously lacking in the ability to negotiate trade and transshipment agreements, and cannot strive for better conditions for Afghanistan's foreign cooperation. In addition, the high wages caused by a large amount of foreign aid and remittances, the de facto high exchange rate and the inflow of drug income have made many commodities with export potential in Afghanistan uncompetitive.
(1) The low level of education and skills in the Afghan labor force is another obstacle to competitiveness and economic growth.