Mahmood Tarzi Think Tank of the Regional Studies Center, Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan, held an academic gathering titled "Afghanistan's Regional Trade & Transit: Challenges and Opportunities" under SDG9 and SDG17, on Monday, September 7, 2020.
Mr. Qais Mohammadi, Academic Administrator BSc Economics at Kardan University and Economic Affairs Expert, started his presentation with the importance of Afghanistan's geo-strategic location, regional trade, and transit.
He stated, "domestic policies drafted before 2014 are not in line with the market economy and needed uniformity. Lack of support for small scale business from the government and the non-existence of a broad vision for trade expansion are additional challenges for the country's economic growth. He further added some challenges in this region need the countries' cooperation to boost trade and transit.”
"After China, Afghanistan has the most neighbors in the region, which could play a key role in connecting regional countries. The challenges and hurdles in regional transit include the poor infrastructure of roads, no uniform railroad gages in the region, security threats, and the existence of hard-to-pass mountains in Afghanistan," said Mr. Mohammadi.
Mr. Mohammadi concluded the conference with the following recommendations:
- Afghanistan has to renew the APTTA-2011 Trade agreement with Pakistan
- The government should reform trade and transit-related policies
- Government and other related organizations have to develop supportive policies for small and medium-sized enterprises
- Investing in transit infrastructure (rail and roads)
- Ensuring the safety of the highways
- Investing in the warm and cold house in airports
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