Empowering the Private Sector and Transforming Kabul’s Future

Speech at the Introduction Ceremony of the Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce and the Mayor of Kabul

• Partnership: Strengthen government-business cooperation.
• Export Growth: Increase exports and economic competitiveness.
• Capacity Building: Develop skilled professionals and institutions.
• Regulatory Reform: Improve laws and the business environment.
• Women’s Empowerment: Support women in trade and industry.
• Municipal Reform: Modernize Kabul’s urban governance.
• Human Capital: Engage universities and technical experts.
• National Identity: Reflect Afghan values in development.

Chaharchenar Palace

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

Respected members of the cabinet, Mr. Ahmadi, Mr. Sarfaraz, representatives of the international chambers of commerce, women's chambers, and the industries and commerce sectors of Afghanistan; all colleagues from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Deputy Minister Kamila Siddiqui, Deputy Minister Abdul Rahimzai, and Deputy Minister Shirzad; respected officials and deputy ministers of the Municipality, Mr. Shoaib Rahim, Mr. Sahar, respected Sheikh, and all sisters and brothers; first of all, I offer you the gift of the leader of humanity; Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings! I also welcome Mr. Mojaddedi and our other colleagues from the architectural and engineering institutions of Afghanistan.

Today, I congratulate the private sector of Afghanistan twice over, because two individuals have been appointed who fundamentally understand your language, thoughts, perspectives, and proposals. They possess the capacity and capability to implement and execute a clear vision for the development of Afghanistan's industry and commerce.

Elevating Economic Governance and Export Growth

First, regarding Mr. Ahmadi. When I was at the Ministry of Finance, he returned from the United States to work alongside me. Following that, he obtained his highest credentials, earning two master's degrees from Harvard University, and specialized in major international investment institutions, central banks, hedge funds, and other financial sectors. After I became President, he offered to return without any hesitation. I am proud to have had such a colleague, given his commitment to this country and its developmental vision. As the Chief Economic Advisor to the President, let us look at a few of his key characteristics.

First, he has excelled in training a new cadre capable of analyzing macro and sectoral economics with absolute clarity and detail, producing systematic reports. He has truly performed a monumental task in capacity building, and the Office of the Chief Economic Advisor will continue its work with full resources to complete further objectives. Every month, they present at least six major reports regarding Afghanistan's economic status—ranging from the banking sector to the condition of municipalities—which is a massive undertaking, and he has maintained highly effective cooperation with Mr. Qayoumi. Furthermore, in the legislative arena—specifically the legislation that enabled Afghanistan to proudly rank first in the World Bank standards this year for its regulatory reforms—Mr. Ahmadi played a highly active and necessary role. However, the most vital aspect, as I mentioned at the outset, is that the private sector of Afghanistan shares a distinct trust and a clear sense of collaboration with Mr. Ahmadi.

Since Abdul Majid Khan Zabuli left the Ministry of Economy, I believe that until today, there has been no individual in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce who has walked so closely in step, shared a single voice, and developed joint initiatives with the private sector of Afghanistan. I hope that just as a fundamental shift occurred during Mr. Zabuli's era—transforming Afghanistan from an importing country into an exporting nation—Mr. Ahmadi will mirror that role. The first benchmark set before him, naturally, is that Afghanistan's exports must reach one billion dollars, and there must be a defined target every year so that our exports can reach four to eight billion dollars by 2024, Inshallah. This is absolutely achievable. I believe that through your cooperation, the barriers about which complaints were constantly raised will, Inshallah, be removed. Regarding female merchants and industrialists, he holds a very specific commitment. Mr. Faiq, rest assured that you no longer need to contact me directly; you now have a clear address, Inshallah, with Ms. Siddiqui and her colleagues.

Revitalizing Municipal Administration and Urban Planning

Regarding Professor Sarfaraz, his selection was based primarily on the fact that during the urban planning design conducted by Sasaki over the past three years, the point of contact between the Ministry of Urban Development and the Sasaki company was Mr. Sarfaraz. Every word placed within this six-volume master plan was scrutinized with precise depth and worked upon systematically by him.

His other defining characteristic, which he shares with Mr. Ahmadi though in a different institutional context, is his academic role as a professor at the Faculty of Engineering at Kabul University. I thank all the engineering professors from Kabul Polytechnic and Kabul University who are present here today. This capacity within our universities has not yet been utilized fundamentally for surveys, data collection, and structural transformation. The cadres trained by Professor Sarfaraz are excellent, and I want to specifically mention Professor Mohmand as well; since the day he accepted his advisory role, we have drawn extensively from his counsel regarding Kabul's traffic management specifically, and the establishment of traffic systems in general.

The objective is that the university community of Afghanistan must see itself fundamentally included in government plans as advisors and implementers moving forward. This is a massive stride because unless we transform the human capital within our universities and educational and technical institutes—especially in technical vocational education—this change cannot manifest. Furthermore, under Mr. Paykar, a clear framework has emerged through the merger of ARAZI (Independent Land Authority) and Urban Development. If Mr. Paykar himself were managing two separate entities, I think half of his time would be consumed by inter-agency consultation.

However, there is a clear necessity to prepare conditions for elected municipalities in accordance with the Municipality Law. The first priority is that the largest municipality in Afghanistan, which is the Kabul Municipality, must transform into an effective and accountable institution. Here, our key focus is that a clear balance must exist between immediate, medium-term, and long-term actions. Our citizens in Kabul must see a fundamental change in the short term—within the next six months—and we must also be able to witness the foundational baseline of this transformation. Therefore, I first request the personnel of the municipality to extend comprehensive cooperation to him, because Mr. Sarfaraz knows the Kabul Municipality exceptionally well, and the analyses he has conducted are essential. I emphasize this: he has explicit authority to design an institutional structure for the municipality that is responsive to the 21st century. The current structure of the municipality—much like the municipal laws that dates back a century—cannot be compared with any of our neighboring municipalities in terms of capacity, quantity, or quality. Mr. Sarfaraz conducted this comparative study at my request, and that was one of the reasons I ultimately made this decision. Moving an individual from advisor to implementer establishes a clear role, and he is the third person to do so. Mr. Qayoumi first honored me by transitioning from an advisory role to the Ministry of Finance, and it is now evident to you that when operations are streamlined, work progresses with much greater speed. Multi-layered bureaucracy is unnecessary. In this context, the role of our sisters in the municipalities, and the role of women in general within the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, must be clear and cohesive.

Championing Constitutional Identity and Architectural Heritage

When individuals who are ignorant of this country threaten us by claiming that the Constitution of Afghanistan is an imported document, prove to them today that the Constitution of Afghanistan is national. Prove that the people, the young generation, the scholars, and the women of this country are forward-looking. The Afghanistan that exists today shares a foundational continuity with the Afghanistan of twenty years ago, because Islamic and national values are our point of continuity. However, from the perspective of structural reforms, being citizen-centric and people-centric while respecting our sublime culture is the core pillar.

One of the expectations we hold for Mr. Sarfaraz, Mr. Paykar, Mr. Watsilmal, and other colleagues is that our architecture must reflect our comprehensive Islamic identity. Do not turn our cities into carbon copies of Peshawar, Mashhad, and the like. Truly, cities must be developed that can represent our unique identity and culture. Regarding the program we initiated for the construction of mosques, I have the honor to state that over these four and a half years, the number of mosques built or restored by the state is perhaps unprecedented in the history of Afghanistan. Yet, our specific identity must be explicitly reflected in these mosques.

Once again, I congratulate you and thank Mr. Ahmadi and Mr. Sarfaraz for accepting these responsibilities in conditions where challenges exist, but where the hope of the people will, Inshallah, triumph over those challenges. Congratulations to all of you and to the people of Afghanistan.

Long live Afghanistan!