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KABUL: Negotiations are underway between the Afghan government and some companies in United Arab Emirates to attract an investment of $6 billion in infrastructure projects, it has been reported.
The officials in the Ministry of Energy and Water of Afghanistan have said Afghanistan requires a total of $9 billion investment in the energy sector.
Water and Energy Minister Ali Ahmad Osmani told reporters in UAE that the donor partners of Afghanistan including the United States Agency for International Development have made a commitment of $2 billion.
“The fund gap is about $5-6 billion in all infrastructure projects,” Osmani told reporters after the conclusion of a summit in Dubai.
Osmani further added that Afghanistan is also in discussions with a few UAE companies for some of its gas, solar and hydro projects.
According to the officials, the power generated from Afghanistan could be even exported to neighbouring countries like India and Pakistan, home to a 1 billion-plus population.
The latest attempts by Afghan government with the support of its international allies to attract foreign investments in energy sector of the country came as efforts are underway to boost the domestic income of the country, specifically through investments on natural resources of Afghanistan.
The Afghan government signed over 80 mining contracts with the private sector earlier last month in a bid to boost the extraction of mines and prevent illegal extraction of the mining. -KP
THE PASHTUN TIMES
