Development project almost completed in Balkh, and Islamic Center to be built in Kabul
Afghanistan’s Tolo News reported today that an international airport, a railway and a 400-bed hospital will soon be inaugurated in Afghanistan’s northern province of Balkh. Balkh’s deputy governor Mohammad Zahir Wahdat said that the airport which has been overseen by a Turkish company and is being funded by Germany and the United Arab Emirates is almost 90 percent complete. Once fully completed and utilized, the projects will significantly impact Afghanistan’s health and economy in a positive way.
In other development news, Khaama Press reported today that a major Islamic Center is going to be built in Maranjan Hill at the center of Kabul City. Afghan officials said that the center which is called “The Malik Abdullah Islamic Center” will be built on 60 acres of land. The funding for the construction project which is expected to be between $45 million to $100 million, will be provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The project is expected to begin next year and will take 3 years to complete. Besides a masjid, the center will have a major Islamic studies university, a hostel that will serve at least 5000 students, a hospital, and a sports complex. According to the report., the masjid part will have the capacity for more than 15,000 people for prayers.
October 28, 2012
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Posted in: Afghan Sports News, Afghanistan's Economy, Education, Health News, Reconstruction and Development
8 million children vaccinated against polio
Dr. Suraya Dalil, Afghanistan's Minister of Public Health
A three-day nationwide wide campaign to vaccinate around 8 million children against polio in Afghanistan recently concluded. The campaign, which was led by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, had started on September 16th and included 55,000 service provides, as well as 40 volunteers who went door-to-door to administer the anti-polio vaccines to children under 5 years of age. Traveling children at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border points were also given the vaccines. Polio which is short for poliomyelitis, is a highly infectious disease that affects the nervous system and can lead to partial or full paralysis. While the disease has been virtually eliminated in most of the world, it is still prevalent in Afghanistan. According to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, 17 cases of polio were reported in Afghanistan this year. On top of the vaccines, children from 2 to 5 years of age were also given de-worming tablets to help reduce the number of worm infestations, which is also another health issue affecting children in Afghanistan.
September 23, 2012
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Posted in: Health News
Iron processing factory opens in Herat, New masjid opens in Helmand
An large iron processing and melting factory was officially opened at the industrial park, in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat, last week. Herat’s provincial governor Daud Shah Saba, Afghanistan’s Commerce and Industries Minister Anwarul Haq Ahadi, and Afghanistan’s Economic Minister Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal attended the inaugural ceremony held to mark the event. Officials said that the factory will help meet domestic demands for iron-made goods and provide employment opportunities for Afghans. The factory currently produces about 80 tonnes of iron on a daily basis, however, plans are underway to increase the capability to 400 tonnes per day.
In other good news, Afghanistan’s Bakhtar News Agency reported yesterday that a new large congregational masjid, that has the capacity for 7000, has been opened in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand. The masjid was built at a cost of $2,500,000. Funding for the project came from the United Arab Emirates and private donors.
September 3, 2012
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Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Job Creation, Reconstruction and Development
Largest solar energy plant to be built in Bamiyan
Murray McCully
New Zealand’s government announced today that they will fund the largest solar energy plant in Afghanistan. Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said that they will provide 18.6 million NZ dollars ($15.05 million US) so that a solar energy system can be built in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan province. Construction is expected to be completed at the end of 2013.
Once completed, the 1.05 megawatt solar plant will provide power for as many as 2,500 homes, businesses and government buildings. Two New Zealand companies, NetCon Ltd and Sustainable Energy Services International, have been awarded the contract to build the plant.
August 2, 2012
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Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Environmental Issues, Reconstruction and Development
Hundreds of historical artifacts returned to Afghanistan
Afghanistan's National Museum - Main Entrance
Earlier this week, it was announced that more than 800 items that were stolen and smuggled out of Afghanistan has been returned, with the help of the British Museum. The rare artifacts include a sculpture of Buddha, ivories dating back to the 1st century BC, as well as bronze age carvings, and Islamic coins. The Afghan government has confirmed that the cargo weighing more than 2 tonnes arrived safely in Kabul.
Last year, the British Museum and Afghanistan’s National Museum signed an agreement or a memorandum of understanding that efforts will be made to identify and help return stolen artifacts back to Afghanistan. This isn’t the first time artifacts have been returned to Afghanistan. According to Afghanistan’s Bakhtar News Agency, in 2009, two thousand historical artifacts were returned to Afghanistan that were smuggled to Britain.
July 21, 2012
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Posted in: Cultural Heritage
New building to be built in Baghlan and renovations begin in Ghazni
Ghazni's provincial governor, Musa Khan Akbarzada
Afghanistan’s Bakhtar News Agency (BNA) reported today that the foundation stone of a new building for Baghlan University was laid down in Pul-e Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province. The new building will be 2 stories high, and will have both administrative and teaching sections. Once the building is completed, the issue of classroom shortage will be resolved, according to local Afghan education officials.
Meanwhile, in Ghazni province, Afghanistan’s Ministry for Information and Culture has announced that renovation work for 10 historic monuments started yesterday in the province. Ghazni’s provincial governor, Musa Khan Akbarzada, as well as other officials were present at a ceremony held to mark the event. In 2007, the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) chose Ghazni as an Islamic Capital of Culture for the year 2013. Restorations are being made so the city will be ready when the cultural festivals begin.
July 15, 2012
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Posted in: Cultural Heritage, Education, Reconstruction and Development
Minister: Power station and dam to be reconstructed
Mohammad Ismael Khan
Mohammad Ismael Khan, Afghanistan’s Minister of Water and Power, during a visit to Afghanistan’s north eastern province Baghlan last week announced that the Pul-e Khumri power station and the Kilagi dam would be reconstructed. The minister added that funding for the project will come from Germany and the World Bank. The trip to Baghlan is part of the minister’s travel plans to the northern provinces to assess the electricity needs of the local populations. Not only will this project provide electricity to the people, but it will also provide enough water to irrigate 450,000 acres of land, Khan told reporters during a news conference. The completion of the project will be a big boost to the economy of Baghlan province.
July 8, 2012
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Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Environmental Issues, Reconstruction and Development
Oil Project Starts In Northern Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s 1st Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim, various Afghan ministers, provincial governors, other officials, as well as the Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, attended a special ceremony today marking the start of operations of the Amu Darya River Basin oil deposits, which are located in northern Afghanistan’s Sar-i-Pol province. The fields are expected to contain more than 80 million barrels of crude oil reserves. This is Afghanistan’s first oil project in the north and it will have tremendous economic impact. Afghanistan’s government and the Chinese state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) signed the country’s first oil production agreement late last year. Under the agreement, much of the of the profits from the operation will go to the Afghan government. Afghan officials are saying that the government will earn about $7 billion in revenue from the project over the next 25 years. The project will also provide job opportunities for thousands of Afghans. Afghanistan’s Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal said that “this is a big economic achievement for the government and a good message for foreign investors.”
June 24, 2012
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Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Job Creation, Reconstruction and Development
Carpet processing factory inaugurated in Herat
A carpet processing factory was inaugurated today in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat, according to a report from Afghanistan’s Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN). The project was funded by the United States government at a cost of $500,000. This facility will provide more employment opportunities for Afghans, and it will be another big boost for the carpet and rug industry in Afghanistan. As more factories like this open up inside inside Afghanistan, the less carpets will be transferred to Pakistan and other neighboring countries. Many times, those countries, especially Pakistan, stamp their own “Made in” label on the carpets or rugs, even though they really originated from Afghanistan. According to the PAN report, Herat’s governor, Daud Shah Saba, called the opening of the facility “a big leap forward”.
June 16, 2012
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Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Job Creation, Reconstruction and Development
Foundation stones for two new school buildings laid in Laghman province
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education announced today that a ceremony was held in which officials, community leaders, students, and teachers attended to celebrate the laying of the foundation stones for two new schools that will be built in the province. The first building is for the Mandar Awal High School and the other is for the Baluchabad Elementary school in the Qarghayi district of Laghman province. Each building will have 8 class rooms, 4 administrative rooms, and 8 restrooms. There will also be a water well. The schools will also be provided with 160 tables and chairs for the students. Funding for the project is being provided by the Japanese government.
June 2, 2012
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Posted in: Education, Reconstruction and Development
Japan funds construction of roads and hospital in Afghanistan
Japan's Ambassador to Afghanistan, Reiichiro Takahashi
In other development news, yesterday, Afghanistan’s Bakhtar News Agency reported that the foundation stone was laid down last week for a new Japanese funded hospital in the Darul Aman area of Kabul. The 80-bed hospital will be constructed on 2.5 acres of land. The focus of the hospital will be to combat diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and Malaria. The Japanese government will not only fund the construction of the building, but they will also provide sophisticated medical equipment to the hospital, the BNA report added.
May 20, 2012
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Posted in: Health News, Reconstruction and Development
New Facilities for a Hospital and Student Teaching College
Governor Habiba Sarobi
According to the PAN report, the new 75-bed facility will have eight doctors, twice the previous staff, and it will be able to handle as many as 200 patients, 20 deliveries, and three operations daily.
In other news, PAN reported earlier this week that after two years of construction, over 900 students of a teacher training center in the Esa Khan desert are now able to move from their makeshift classrooms in rental houses into an official building built for the school. The World Bank funded 9.2 million afghani construction project in central Bamiyan province was completed by a local company and includes six administrative rooms and eight classrooms.
At the inaugural ceremony, PAN reported that Governor Habiba Sorabi said a hostel and two additional buildings will be completed in the next year. The college was first established in 2007 and has an enrollment of nearly 1,000 students, 60 percent of which are female.
May 10, 2012
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Posted in: Education, Health News, Reconstruction and Development, Women's Rights
