The Faculty of Economics at Kardan University organized a webinar on ‘Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery in Afghanistan’ on Sunday, July 19, conducted by Dr. Said Aziz Sadat, the guest speaker, and Sayed Ajan Ahmadzai, Lecturer at Kardan University.

Dr. Sadat is the Director-General of the Public Credit Registry Department of Da Afghanistan Bank and has served as a senior economic advisor to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of Afghanistan.

Dr. Sadat and Mr. Ahmadzai jointly delivered the much-anticipated webinar with an in-depth analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on global economic activities, global employment, international trade, particularly the economy of Afghanistan.

“The pandemic is reducing the GDP growth of almost all countries in the world and has forced them to increase their expenditure to maintain aggregate demand in the economy and combat the crisis,” said Dr. Sadat.

He further explained the impact of COVID-19 on the output, employment, inflation, and poverty rate of the Afghan economy. To combat the current crisis, he proposed the following concrete suggestions to the Afghan government:

• The government should start monetization in the short run
• The government must follow expansionary monetary and fiscal policies
• Provide tax relaxation to those businesses struggling for survival
• Provide subsidies to farmers, consumers, and producers to maintain aggregate demand and employment in the economy
• The government should subsidize the agriculture sector of the economy in the medium run
• The government must focus on utilizing the mineral resources in the long run

Towards the end, the guest speaker provided comprehensive answers to the queries of students and persuaded them to learn and equip themselves with a broader understanding of the economic affairs, and how economies get affected during the crisis.