General situation of economy
Afghanistan is a backward country in agriculture and animal husbandry, and197/kloc-0 was listed as one of the least developed countries by the United Nations in. After more than 20 years of war, Albania's economy has been seriously damaged, especially in 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 went into exile and became 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 direct control of the central government 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 develops 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 enterprises to invest in Afghanistan. After years of depression, Afghanistan has gradually begun the process of post-war economic reconstruction. In 2004, Afghanistan promulgated two new laws, namely, the Anti-Money Laundering Law and the Combating of Financial Terrorism Law, to regulate the financial market and combat the illegal economy. According to statistics, Afghanistan's GDP in fiscal year 2003/2004 was US$ 4.3 billion, a year-on-year increase of 20%. The per capita income is $65438 +080. Currency name: afghani (ani for short). 10 On June 7th, the Afghan Transitional Government issued a new currency, ANI. The ratio with old coins is 1: 1000.
Afghan 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, emerald and so on. Afghanistan may have the richest copper mine, the fifth largest iron ore vein and 73 million tons of coal in the world. In addition, natural gas reserves are about185.2 billion cubic meters, and oil reserves are about 95 million barrels.
Lapis lazuli is a very unique and rare rock, which is composed of blue minerals, indefinite pyrite, calcite and other minerals, showing a unique deep blue, light blue and pure cyan. Can be used for carving ornaments and making jewelry. The top lapis lazuli is worth about $300 per kilogram, and the worst lapis lazuli is not less than $40. Lapis lazuli is called "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 rivers in Afghanistan are inland rivers, which flow into deserts and lakes. The main rivers are Amu Darya, Kabul River, helmand river and Hariru River.
Afghan industry
Years of war led to the collapse of Albania's industrial base. Light industry and handicraft industry dominate, 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 Albanian national economy. The population of agriculture and animal husbandry accounts for 67% of the total population of China. Cultivated land in China is less than 10% of the total land area. The main crops are wheat, cotton, sugar beet, dried fruit and various fruits. The main livestock products are big-tailed sheep, cattle and goats. At present, the opium planting area in Afghanistan has reached 1.3 1 10,000 hectares, with a population of 2.3 million, accounting for more than 60% of the GDP in 2003.
Traffic in Afghanistan
A is a landlocked country with no access to the sea. There are few railways in China. Traffic mainly depends on roads and air. Some sections of the Amu Darya and Kunduz rivers located on the northern border of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are navigable.
Highway: the total length is 2 1000 km, and the road surface is about 2800 km. 70% was destroyed by 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 repaired and reopened from June 5 to February 5, 2003. 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. Ariane 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, 2003. Bakhtar Airlines operates domestic routes. Kabul Airport is an international airport.
Afghanistan's foreign trade
Afghanistan has trade with more than 60 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 targets are Pakistan, China, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Turkmenistan and India.
foreign aid
The international community has provided a lot of financial and material assistance for post-war reconstruction in Afghanistan. On June 5438+ 10, 2002, at the Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan Reconstruction held in Tokyo, all participants expressed their support for the peace and reconstruction process in Afghanistan and promised to provide a total of $5 billion in assistance for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. After the Tokyo Conference, the international community made some commitments one after another. At the Berlin Conference on Afghanistan in March 2004, the international community promised to provide Afghanistan with $8.2 billion in aid within three years. As of September 2004, Afghanistan has received 4.828 billion US dollars in aid. At the same time, the international community has provided a large number of basic equipment for the Afghan government in education, health, agricultural irrigation, public transportation, telecommunications, government office, etc.
The life of the Afghan people
More than 20 years of civil war have caused great damage to Albania's basic living facilities. Damaged roads, lack of electricity, rising prices and lack of daily necessities. Since its establishment, the Afghan government, with the help of the United Nations and international non-governmental organizations, has made great efforts to restore basic living 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 report of the World Bank, less than 20% of urban residents in Afghanistan can enjoy tap water supply, which is the lowest country in the world. Basic medical care can only cover 40% of the population, and there is a serious shortage of medical staff, especially female medical staff. Because of their unwillingness 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 1 15 ‰. 50% of the population suffers from chronic malnutrition; The average life expectancy is 43 years. Countries with backward agriculture and animal husbandry were listed as one of the least developed countries by the United Nations in 197 1. The war environment of 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 2002, although the economy has developed rapidly and the annual GDP growth rate has reached double digits, it is not enough to change the poverty situation of the country and 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 governance, economic growth and poverty reduction in the next five years from 2008 to 20 13. 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 it is mainly driven by the efforts of the international community to assist Afghanistan's reconstruction and large-scale imports. Apart from telecommunications, private enterprises in Albania are generally reluctant to make medium-and long-term productive investments, partly because of their lack of confidence in the future of private enterprises and the high business and transaction costs caused by Albania's business environment under realistic conditions. In addition, according to the data of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Afghanistan, despite the double-digit growth of Afghanistan's international trade, most of its exports are imports and re-exports to Pakistan and Iran, and imports are largely supported by international aid and drug economy.
To maintain the sustainable development of Afghanistan's economy, it is necessary to bring the reconstruction-driven recovery economy into the economic growth track led by the private economy. Prospering private economy is very important for promoting rural economic development and reducing 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 society and people, create the resources needed by the government to implement the national development strategy, benefit the country and the whole society, and have hope for economic growth and poverty reduction.
In view of this, the private economy has always been regarded by the Afghan government as the hope, expectation and dependence of national development, and it is also the engine and driving force to promote national economic development. While assisting Afghanistan, the international community is 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 than15,000 investment enterprises registered in the Agency. According to the information provided by the Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry, there are 25,000 national industrial and commercial enterprises registered in the association.
African-American agricultural enterprises are small and weak, with typical characteristics of informality, being run by bosses and small scale, among which there are almost no medium-sized and large enterprises. Telecommunications is the only industry that has large-scale foreign direct investment and is operated by it, while private processing and manufacturing enterprises can hardly see it.
Secondly, the bad business environment restricts the development of Albania's private economy.
In post-war Afghanistan, both tangible and intangible infrastructure have been destroyed, and a good business environment suitable for private economic development has not yet been established in reconstruction efforts. Due to the lack of appropriate laws and regulations, orderly institutional environment and good government and social services, most private enterprises or individual businesses still remain at the level of informal economy, which limits the growth of medium and long-term investment and operation, forms countermeasures and pressures to promote healthy business competition, encourages and encourages corruption, and becomes a huge constraint on the existence and development of private economy in Afghanistan. To sum up, it mainly includes the following points:
Lack of physical infrastructure, especially serious power shortage. In big cities such as Kabul, frequent power outages 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 of private enterprises is getting heavier and heavier. In addition, clean water supply, sanitation facilities, communication means, roads, airports and transit facilities are seriously lacking or dilapidated, which are also important factors that hinder the private economy from participating in formal economic activities, restricting Albania's development of international and regional trade and attracting investment. Infrastructure problems also affect financial services, especially in rural areas.
(2) 70-80% of Afghanistan's private economy is informal. For example, contracts are rarely used and are basically not binding, and the provisions on the rights of consumers and employees are basically invalid. There are many bureaucratic obstacles or barriers related to the government's ability. The ability of private enterprises to adapt to the requirements of laws and regulations is limited, and the lack of open information and adaptation to various procedures is also endangering the existence and growth of the private economy, resulting in Afghanistan becoming the country with the lowest fiscal revenue of the private economy.
(3) The business environment is bad. The business environment is still plagued by outdated laws and regulations, vague and contradictory regulations, overly complicated licensing procedures and rigid trading procedures. In addition to meeting the conditions for the establishment of a company (it used to be handled by a commercial court, but now it has to be handed over to the central registration bureau that has not yet been established), there are also investment licenses from the Investment Promotion Bureau, business licenses from the industrial and commercial departments, and more than 20 sub-licenses issued by several relevant ministries. The lack of structural competitiveness in Afghanistan's business environment can be reflected in the business index published by the World Bank: Afghanistan ranks 165 (lower than 159 in 2006) among the listed 175 countries.
(D) unclear property rights and land rights and interests, weak enforcement mechanism, private enterprises can not use land as a guarantee to apply for credit. The lack of commercial insurance system, coupled with the turbulent security situation, has had a negative impact on investment, forming a restrictive factor for the development of private enterprises.
(5) Lack of financial support. This is another major constraint on the operation and development of the private economy. As far as business conditions are concerned, Afghanistan ranks122nd among 155 countries, especially in rural areas of Afghanistan.
(vi) Lack of effective law enforcement mechanisms. The commercial court system has not yet been established, or they lack resources and capabilities or relevant laws, or the laws are incomplete, which is a serious risk 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 remains a huge obstacle to investment and trade. In the process of applying for a license, applying for a loan and executing a contract, corruption in the bureaucracy and the public sector not only causes difficulties for enterprises, but also greatly increases the investment and transaction costs of investors or potential investors, slows down the transaction process, and makes the risks in the process of applying for a license, performing a contract and safeguarding financial rights unpredictable. In terms of foreign trade, low wages, lack of training and lack of resources of border law enforcement or staff lead to 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 damages 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) The illegal gains of 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 make many commodities with export potential in Afghanistan uncompetitive.
The low level of education and skills of the Afghan labor force is another obstacle to competitiveness and economic growth.
Three. Policies and measures of Afghan government to develop private economy
(a) the implementation of a market economy policy dominated by the private economy.
In the Afghanistan National Development Strategy, the government clearly put forward the policy of developing a market economy dominated by the private economy, including the following key points and priorities:
? Formulate the legal framework for the development of private economy, including the formulation and adoption of important commercial laws (company law, joint venture law, commercial arbitration law, commercial mediation law, contract law, agency law, standard law, copyright law, trademark law and patent law);
? Create a regulatory framework for the private economy and provide support for its implementation of relevant laws;
? Improving the implementation of the legal and institutional framework;
? Ensure that the above-mentioned legislation can reflect the connection and characteristics of local Afghan society and be implemented fairly, and continue to provide investors with a legal environment that can predict business prospects to a great extent.
(two) plans, measures and implementation
1, strengthen the management of market economy.
The Afghan government will strengthen and improve the management of market economy within the policy framework of promoting private economic growth and development, including:
? Determine the institutional responsibilities and mechanisms for reforming the business environment;
? Strengthen the work and functions of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Investment Promotion Bureau and relevant legal systems to effectively mediate and resolve disputes;
? Improve access to land, including a series of measures to clarify property rights, simplify transfer procedures and ensure long-term lease. We will continue to simplify the main procedures of enterprise management business (registration, licensing, entry and exit business, customs clearance and payment) to reduce transaction costs.
2. Attach great importance to the privatization or corporatization of some important state-owned enterprises.
The Ministry of Finance has prepared a list of all state-owned enterprises that need to be privatized, including the corporatization and efficiency-enhancing measures of the National Electric Power Administration-Greater Afghanistan Brishna Mowasesa, the reorganization and strategic privatization of Millie Bank and Pashtany Bank, and all these state-owned enterprises will be privatized or enter liquidation procedures in the next three years. All relevant agencies of the Afghan government will encourage these competitors who are emerging as new private enterprises to enter the market for fair competition.
3. Commitment to formulate favorable trade policies.
Trade policies are formulated around the goals of lowering the threshold of import and export trade, supporting the development of private enterprises and increasing domestic production, and enhancing the competitiveness of industries with comparative advantages. The Ministry of Finance will be responsible for formulating the new tariff system on the basis of consultation with all parties. In addition, priority should be given to improving trade and commercial relations between Afghanistan and countries in the region, giving full play to the advantages of Afghanistan's strategic position, and promoting and facilitating trade and trade transshipment by adopting corresponding policies and measures. In the short term, the Afghan government will strive to ensure the continuity of customs laws and regulations, and continue to reduce the average time required for goods to enter and leave Afghanistan, and finally reach the regional average. The government will also strive to become a member of the World Trade Organization.
4. Further improve financial services.
The financial system, including banking and microfinance services, is developing rapidly. However, due to the low ability of financial intermediary, only a few people can enjoy formal financial services. In order to eliminate some key bottlenecks in the development of private economy, the Afghan government plans to establish a strong and responsive financial industry, strengthen domestic production of private enterprises and improve their production capacity. Specifically, we will first adopt and implement four financial laws (safe trading, mortgage, leasing and negotiable securities or bills), strengthen the legal framework, and conscientiously implement banking regulations; After that, we will promote the extension of financial services to rural areas and small and medium-sized enterprises; In the future (mid-term), we will strive to establish credit bureaus and financial dispute settlement courts, implement relevant appropriate insurance laws, and encourage and promote the development of some important financial institutions.
5. Continue to reform the business environment.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has been designated as the competent department to promote the development of Albania's private economy. In order to adapt to this function, with the support of the capacity-building plan, the Ministry has set up two new institutions that are more suitable for implementing private economic development policies, namely, the Ministry of Private Enterprise Development and the Ministry of Law.
In the past, the Afghan government implemented a series of reform measures to improve the business environment and promote the development of the private economy, some of which played a role in the development of the private economy, such as:
? The industrial park plan overcomes the shortcomings and obstacles in infrastructure by providing convenience for a small number of Afghan businessmen;
? Financial support of donor countries for bank credit;
? Microfinance plan to help individual merchants increase their income;
? The establishment of the Investment Promotion Bureau provides investors with a single window service and is actively solving the problems they face;
Generally speaking, the reform of private enterprises in Afghanistan has made slow progress with little effect. There are still many informal things that have great influence in the economy. The negative impact of structural problems in the business environment is still offsetting these positive reform efforts. Therefore, the overall growth of the private economy is not obvious, and the output of small and medium-sized enterprises still cannot become the main body of the Afghan private economy. In view of this, the Afghan government continues to devote itself to reform and construction, mainly in the following aspects:
(1) Promote the regularization of private enterprises. Encourage economic standardization, emphasize the need to strengthen the institutional construction of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, create a high-level display platform for them in standardized economic operation, improve their ability and strength in normal business operation, reduce bureaucracy and eliminate corruption. At the same time, we will strengthen the construction of the legal environment, and effectively strengthen reform by improving the law enforcement ability of state institutions and the adaptability of private enterprises to the law. In addition, regular business training is conducted, skills are developed through small-scale training programs and internationally recognized vocational qualification training centers (some progress has been made), business education is modernized (especially in universities), investment in modern processing and manufacturing technologies is increased, and the competitiveness of Afghan manufacturers in domestic and international markets is improved.
(2) Improve business development and market policies. It is believed that the failure of Albanian private enterprises to exert their potential is mainly related to the randomness and restriction of market rules and regulations, the unfairness of domestic and foreign market competition, the lack and uncertainty of market information, and the imperfection and discontinuity of trading network. To this end, the Afghan government has made plans to create a functional market that can play these roles, including establishing an institutional market environment (market management systems, laws and regulations) and strengthening the construction of supporting functions (skills, information and networks that enable the market to operate), so that transactions between buyers and sellers can be conducted on a standardized, simple and fair basis, and promote the sustainable development and growth of a competitive private economy that can compete in domestic and international markets.
(3) Improve the investment environment. By improving the investment environment, Afghanistan will become a competitive investment destination, attracting foreign direct investment and promoting domestic investment. The government also plans to build physical infrastructure for the development and investment of private enterprises, such as continuing to build industrial parks throughout the country and providing investors with land, energy, water and electricity and access roads in a timely manner. However, the process and progress of encouraging investment are still restricted by high risks, and the existing risk mitigation measures or investment guarantee mechanisms are only applicable to international investors, but have little or no impact on domestic investment in Albania. In view of this, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has initially formulated some special plans, including:
? Reduce the uncertainty, burden and cost of implementing rules and regulations;
? Introduce more effective means to resolve investment risks;
? Strengthening human capital infrastructure;
? Design and create a target market that is conducive to investment operation.
With the effective implementation of the Afghan government's policies and measures to develop the private economy, the reconstruction process in Afghanistan is deepening. I believe that the role of private economy in Afghanistan's economic construction and social development will become more and more obvious, and Afghanistan's prospects will be bright.