Dr. Ashraf Ghani

Speech at the inauguration ceremony of six factories of the alokozay International Company

Keypoints:

Economic Independence: From import-reliant to export-oriented.
Private Sector Growth: Support law-abiding, goal-focused investment.
Job Creation: Sustainable, dignified work for youth.
Skill Development: Train skilled workforce for industry.
Women’s Participation: Promote Afghan products, empower women.
Modern Infrastructure: Build efficient factories and systems.
Public-Private Collaboration: Unite government, investors, and society.
Youth & Opportunity: Enable young Afghans to lead.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Most esteemed brother Mr. Muslimyar, respected members of the Cabinet, very dear brother Mr. Abdul Rahman Alokozay, all members of the People’s Council, members of the Wolesi Jirga and Meshrano Jirga, respected industrialists, sisters, and brothers: Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh!

Ahdaf-e-bozorg (Great goals) must be simple, easy to understand, and actionable. You can either write ten thousand pages explaining the economic policy of this country, or you can summarize it in a single sentence. Our concise sentence is this: Afghanistan must be transformed into an exporting nation. We face poverty, terror, administrative corruption, narcotics, and hundreds of other sorrows; however, the persistent problem of Afghanistan and the greatest threat from my perspective is the massive imbalance between our imports and our exports. Politically, we have always defended this soil. The people of Afghanistan have always looked after the honor of this land, but we did not have economic independence. Currently, we still do not have economic independence, and political independence without economic independence is incomplete. From this perspective, the goal of this government from the first day that responsibility came upon our shoulders is to change Afghanistan from a nation dependent on others to a nation that can stand on its own feet and transform into a dynamic country.

Why an exporter and why import substitution? Because when you export, we must comply with all international standards. We must employ the best type of capital and the best type of management. But if we only want to take the place of imports, it means that your hand will continuously be extended in need. Therefore, our primary goal is to become an exporting nation.

Recognition of Industrial Management

My second point is to thank Mr. Alokozay and all the industrialists. I want to speak a few words about them.

Management Talent: God has given Mr. Alokozay the kind of talent he gave to the economic innovators of the 19th and 20th centuries. Through his own thinking and continuous management, he has generated more than a billion dollars. Do you know that? This man works 18 hours a day. There is no plane of his that goes out without him personally paying attention to it. So he doesn’t just bring money; this brother of ours brings a new school of management to the country.
Efficiency: Others might tell you a three or ten-year goal and then tell you why implementation was delayed; he promised you today that the goal he contracted for three years will, God willing, be achieved in two. This is called management!
International Competitiveness: He has proven on an international level that he can compete. A book is one thing and experience is another; he has proven it practically. Go one hundred meters further and look at the Pepsi-Cola factory. When you go there, you will see it for yourself. I saw this factory; it is truly unparalleled in the region and the world.

Look at his team. When work of this caliber is created, it is a very clear message to the youth of this country that steady, dignified, and secure work is being created for them. Look over there at the conditions in which the workers live. They are not in a state where they leave this factory and are destitute; rather, the conditions have been prepared for them. So this is a philosophy, and this philosophy can provide the ground for our people to believe in having good management.

The Philosophy of Wealth and Mentality

The most important point is that Mr. Alokozay made a decision—a conscious decision. If he wanted to find a legitimate profit—and by the grace of God his profit is legitimate—he could have gone to at least a hundred other countries and made this investment. He is not forced to invest in Afghanistan, but Afghanistan needs his capital, and it needs the capital of all of you investors. So I thank him. In conditions where no one gave him insurance or a guarantee, he invested. His insurance is his belief in the future of Afghanistan; it is his honesty and the honesty of other industrialists that will, God willing, change the atmosphere. So, thanks to you, thanks to your colleagues, and thanks to Mr. Kaminzada and all the industrialists!

Another point is the "tool." When the goal is clear, what is the tool and where is the problem? The problem is in the past.

The Zero-Sum Myth: We had a philosophy where people thought wealth was the result of theft. I want to speak clearly: they thought wealth was like a piece of dry bread—that if one person took a part of it, it wouldn't reach others.
The Role of the State: We think the state is a tool for preventing wealth, not a tool for creating wealth. That mentality must change. Wealth is unlimited. Look at the largest companies in the world; today there are companies that originated from the brain. Look at Google or Microsoft. If it weren't for intellectual capital, would Google and Microsoft have reached their results?
Fundamental Change: We need a fundamental change in mentality to understand that if we want prosperity, the state is a helper in its creation; but its main engine is an active, law-abiding sector—a sector that must have legitimate profit. Because the private sector does not come without legitimate profit.
Religious Precedent: Do not forget that the holy religion of Islam has not only encouraged trade, but our Prophet (PBUH) was not only a trader himself, but Bibi Khadija was also the largest trader of her time in the Arab world. The Qari Sahib always reads this verse to you; pay attention to it. This is not our philosophy; it is the guidance of the Holy Quran, the guidance of God.

Institutional Cooperation and Poverty

It is this context that makes me want to express my gratitude to the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Economy, the Minister of Urban Development, the Minister of Agriculture, and our other ministers. What the High Economic Council represents today is a change in mentality. The duty of the High Economic Council is to solve the problems of the private sector and share them, and at the same time, civil society must understand that a civil society does not remain stable without a flourishing internal economy. For this reason, the High Economic Council has become active, but clearly, problems exist; currently, problems are at the middle and lower levels, isn't that so?

Our goal should be that decisions made are not only followed up by me or the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Economy; these decisions must take on an automatic form. Our people suffer from poverty. Forty percent of our people have a daily income of less than one hundred Afghanis. Think about how a family of six can maintain its life with dignity on one hundred Afghanis a day? The eradication of poverty does not happen without economic momentum, so it is necessary that we join hands.

Strategic Messages to Stakeholders

I have two other points.

To Investors: My message to the investors of Afghanistan, the region, and the world is that the Afghan government and the National Unity Government have a full commitment to cooperating with a law-abiding and purposeful private sector. Bring your detailed projects and investments forward. Our commitment is to remove the obstacles in your way, with the hope that you will pull us away from reliance on foreign aid. If you invest in electricity, we can then spend that money on health, on housing, and on the reintegration of refugees. Wherever you see the possibility of investment, the state will be grateful and will join hands with you. There is a legal framework; come and work with us. By the grace of God, there is sufficient money in Afghanistan. Afghan traders in Dubai told me they have billions of dollars; Afghan money is across the region.
- The Economic Jihad: Brothers and sisters, your part in this great Jihad—which is the stability of Afghanistan—is of the same importance as our brave security and defense forces and the children of Afghanistan who give their lives for the country today. If you put your money to work, they gain hope and you gain hope; so coordination is necessary.
To Legislators: I want to specifically thank the Meshrano Jirga and Wolesi Jirga. To join the WTO, the Chairman of the Meshrano Jirga held a session during the holidays; this is called coordination. Mr. Kaminzada, whatever problems exist in any sector, speak to us. Problems that can be solved through discussion are solvable, and I hope it has been proven to you and the people of Afghanistan that we have the will—do not doubt our will.

Our goal is that economic momentum truly comes to Afghanistan so that the poor class believes they can become owners of work, owners of life, owners of homes, and that their child will one day be the President of Afghanistan. Our Constitution opens the way for all Afghans to take my place. This is our commitment. Our national deed is our Constitution, and it is written clearly there that the state must provide the ground for the private sector.

Results and Human Capital

My last point is the results of this investment for the people.

Job Creation: Every time you import, what happens? Work is not created. But every time you export, a vast virtuous cycle of work is created. The most important part that benefits from this investment is the young generation of Afghanistan.
Technical Training: To make the work of investors easier and more useful, we shared the news with Mr. Kaminzada that the government is ready to work fundamentally on vocational and technical education in cooperation with investors. Without creating human power, this work cannot happen. You must tell us how to make government investment in people so that the workers you bring as specialists from abroad today can be found here tomorrow.
The Role of Women: Women of Afghanistan especially have a very large role, because shopping is done daily by our sisters. My message to all my sisters is: prefer Afghan products. If it is five Afghanis more expensive, understand this much—the result is job creation for your children. The government prefers 25% of Afghan productions; if you invest, we will increase this ground for cooperation.

The Future of Coordination

The whole nation of Afghanistan sees this good day today, and it is hoped that this positive example created by Mr. Alokozay—and as I said the other day, created by Mr. Ghazanfar—that this series of positive examples continues. In the coming months, you will see another large action from Mr. Alokozay. The people will see that the country's investors believe in Afghanistan; this is a great trust and a great hope.

The reason the process took time was due to necessary accuracy. Every "first" requires special attention. The precision of the ministers was because we must understand the results. You found the results positive and comprehensive; from now on, speed of action is required because the examples have been clearly established.

I want to once again express gratitude to Mr. Alokozay and his group and assure all Afghan investors... that the state is your continuous partner and together, God willing, such an Afghanistan will be built that the region will be amazed. God willing, what we have always done on the field of Jihad—if we do it this time on the field of Economic Jihad—we will have the same achievements that will cause the pride of the people of Afghanistan and yourselves.