Energy-Led Industrialization, Private Sector Growth, and Regional Connectivity in Afghanistan

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

Respected Mr. Muslimyar, Engineer Sahib Mohammad Khan, esteemed Ministers of Defense, Interior, Public Works, and Mines and Petroleum; Mr. Daudzai, Minister of Refugees, Mr. Ghalib [CEO of Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat], Mr. Baik, Mr. Ahmadi, Mr. Khulmi [Acting Minister of Energy and Water], the honorable Director General of the Afghan Red Crescent Society Mrs. Hassan Bano Ghazanfar, the private sector, Mr. Kaminzada, the Ghazanfar Group—Mr. Yusuf Ghazanfar, Mr. Ismail Ghazanfar, Mr. Ibrahim Ghazanfar, and all remaining members of the Ghazanfar Group; respected Governor of Balkh, all attendees of this gathering, elders of Balkh, scholars of the country, the private sector, all colleagues who have graced us with their presence, esteemed audience, and dear compatriots: First of all, I offer you the greeting of the leader of humanity, peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah!

My remarks are divided into four sections:

Investment as a Symbol of Hope

First, this investment is a clear sign of hope for the future—a future in which Afghanistan is self-sufficient, secure, and democratic. For this reason, I thank the Ghazanfar Group from the bottom of my heart for executing such a massive investment at this specific juncture, which presents both opportunities and challenges. I thank you for this trust you have placed in the future of Afghanistan.

Second, the investment by the Ghazanfar Group today represents the strengthening of a specific model of industrial and commercial firms in Afghanistan. It indicates that they look forward to clean, lawful, and principled profits derived from production, not mere trade. A massive resource of Afghanistan was previously either wasted, flared off, or used by the former Soviet Union at a very low price; today, they are effectively transforming Afghanistan's hidden energy into prominent energy for the use of the Afghan people and the empowerment of the private sector. For this, I congratulate you as well.

I thank the private sector of Mazar-i-Sharif and the respected province of Balkh for the major investments they have made across various sectors, which the Governor detailed extensively today. With this 50-megawatt power plant, we anticipate much larger investments, God willing. The Ghazanfar Group is generating the electricity for you; now, I expect further investments from you.

Furthermore, I express my gratitude to our colleagues in the Ministries of Mines, Commerce, and Energy, as well as the Breshna Company. The type of cooperation modeled by this investment must transform into a general culture within our governance. The private sector, the government, and civil society must operate as inseparable components of one another to convert the hidden wealth of the country into real capital.

Energy as the Infrastructure of Infrastructures

The second point concerns energy. In very simple terms, energy is the infrastructure of infrastructures. God (J) has granted Afghanistan a magnificent opportunity: on one hand, it is becoming the grandest transit hub connecting various regional energy systems, and on the other, it is becoming a producer of diverse energy sources—wind, solar, hydro, gas, and geothermal. All of these are capabilities that can transform Afghanistan into one of the largest energy producers in the region, God willing. The necessity now is for us to develop these resources; since we traditionally viewed ourselves as an importer, we must now transition into a producer and an exporter.

First, the goal of our energy policy is to transform Afghanistan into one of the largest exporters of energy, and this is entirely achievable within five to ten years. This is not a distant dream or illusion; I hope you believe in it now. Second, a fascinating characteristic of energy is that as production increases, demand increases as well—contrary to other sectors where you must first measure the demand, and if you overproduce, the market becomes saturated. This country has the capacity to absorb tens of thousands of megawatts of energy, God willing. You produce it, and Mr. Kaminzada and his group of industrialists will utilize it for production, God willing. Third, agriculture, which is our primary sector, is deeply dependent on energy production. Once our energy production is modernized, agriculture will be modernized too. However, the most critical point is that 21st-century jobs will come neither from agriculture nor from our current industry alone; they will emerge from the digital sector. Therefore, it is vital to integrate them.

A Message to the Private Sector

The third point is a message to the private sector. First, the government is your supporter; second, it is your partner; and third, it is your representative in marketing. Wherever I have traveled, I have opened markets for you, because without you, we cannot produce, export, or import high-quality goods. For this reason, the mindset of the state must undergo a fundamental shift. The mindset we inherited from the past dictated that capital is synonymous with theft. Capital is not theft; it is initiative, intellect, and strategic planning.

We often think that by increasing red tape and bureaucracy, we protect ourselves. From now on, official responsibility is not fulfilled by creating red tape or wasting time; it depends on making decisions in accordance with the law and executing work with speed. This significance is not solely because we operate from an economic standpoint.

Economic Vitality as the Foundation for Peace

The fourth point: Mr. Daudzai is present here, and the Consultative Peace Loya Jirga is being convened. The key point is that the future of peace is fundamentally dependent on economic progress. We must build the capacity to ensure that while peace is inevitably coming, job creation will be one of the most critical factors determining whether that peace is sustainable or, God forbid, temporary. What happens on the political stage and what we agree upon there is a subsequent matter; the core issue is the implementation of the peace program. It is impossible to achieve this without eradicating poverty and reintegrating tens of thousands of individuals who have grown accustomed to guns and gunpowder back into society. Therefore, we want to move from a political agreement to a clear covenant among the private sector, civil society, and the government. Within this framework, accelerating domestic investment—especially prioritizing domestic investment to drive industrialization and production—must be one of our top national priorities, and this is my promise to you in this sector.

Government Commitment and Regional Connectivity

My fifth point is that whatever the private sector requires through legitimate and legal channels, the government is at your service. We fulfill our promises, because today you demonstrated that the private sector, particularly the Ghazanfar Group, is ready to fulfill its commitments. And your commitment is not without risk. In a country that still lacks investment insurance and similar mechanisms, you brought in "KFC" and other groups; I congratulate you for this. However, you took the most important initiative regarding these risks yourselves, which is demonstrating trust in the future of Afghanistan—and our future is bright, God willing. In this regard, during both my recent trip to Azerbaijan and my visit to the Emirates, extensive export markets have been secured for us, which we hope to realize in subsequent discussions.

As I mentioned this morning, I hope my next trip to Mazar-i-Sharif will be to inaugurate the Mazar–Shanghai corridor. This involves railway networks, but specifically, it leverages maritime routes—the most cost-effective means of connectivity—to open access to the Chinese market. Our expectation is to export hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods to the great nation of China, as well as to Kazakhstan and Russia, which are our next targets. Mazar-i-Sharif will turn into one of the primary gateways for the transit and transformation of Afghanistan and the roundabout of Asia, God willing.

Once again, I congratulate you, I thank you, and I wish you immense success.

Long live Afghanistan!