Business
‘Digital Silk Road’ on track as Afghanistan and Turkmenistan connect
Thursday marked another milestone in Afghanistan’s modern history when President Ashraf Ghani inaugurated the new fiber optic connection between Turkmenistan and the commercial port of Aqina in Afghanistan’s Faryab province.
Within four months of having signed the memorandum of understanding with government the Afghan Wireless Communication Company (AWCC) had successfully completed the task of connecting the two neighboring countries.
In a virtual address at the launch, Dr Ehsan Bayat, the founder and chairman of AWCC, said he was “delighted” to celebrate the company’s success in connecting Afghanistan with its friends in Turkmenistan - especially given the past year that has involved unprecedented challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic, which also impacted people’s ability to connect with each other across the globe.
“When Afghan Wireless embarked on the journey to build Afghanistan’s largest nationwide fiber network, we did so with the goal of realizing President Ghani’s vision to transform the country into a hub of digital data connectivity for Central Asia.
“Today marks an important milestone in the building of a digital silk road across the region with Afghanistan at its center; a road that will connect millions of Afghans to the digital economy.
He said the latest optical fiber connection, between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, is the country’s fifth and sixth international border connections. Others include Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.
“From Mazar to Jalalabad, and from Kabul to Kandahar to Kunduz, communities across the country are benefiting from high-speed connectivity. And now our connection to Turkmenistan through Torghundi and Aqina will enable Herat and western cities to become Afghanistan’s next major bridge for digital transformation,” he said.
However, Bayat stated that the impact of AWCC’s project should not be measured in kilometers of fiber laid, or megabytes of data transmitted, or even money invested but instead, it should be measured by the industries revitalized, the local businesses boosted, the jobs created, the pace of economic development and the enhancement to critical services in health, education, commerce and finance.
“This project could not be delivered without Afghanistan and Turkmenistan working together.
“Afghan Wireless’ optical fiber connection between the two countries that we are celebrating today is a powerful testament that when we work hand in hand with our neighbors, not only do we strengthen our countries individually, but we also strengthen our region together,” he said.
The Turkmenistan to Aqina cable has the capacity to transfer 2,500 megabits of the Internet and can therefore provide high quality and cheap Internet to Faryab province.
According to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, a fiber-optic network is the result of the rapid development of telecommunications and information technology, which has become an integral part of modern life.
The ministry states that along with the progression of technology and innovation, the shape and quality of tools have also changed to a great extent.
At the beginning of the invention of the telephone, copper cables were used to transmit information and sound, but today, with the advancement of technology and increasing human needs, these cables have been replaced by a new generation of signal conductors or fiber optics.
Because of the need for fast and cheap digital connectivity in the country, Government has already connected a total of 25 provinces in the country with the national fiber-optic network.
Pakistan’s Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has said that daily truck clearances at Torkham crossing have declined from 400-500 to 5-10.
SCCI President Fazal Muqeem Khan said this at the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry to promote bilateral trade and cooperation.
He said the volume of trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan had fallen from $3 billion to $1 billion annually.
Fazal Muqeem also highlighted the adverse impact of the 2% Infrastructure Development Cess (IDC) imposed by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government on trade and transit.
Business
Turkish scholars, charity officials assess investment prospects in Afghanistan
Officials pledged to encourage Turkish investors to explore and capitalize on investment opportunities in Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Energy and Water, Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor, met with a delegation of Turkish scholars and officials from the Adif Charity Foundation on Tuesday to discuss various political, religious, and social issues.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Water, Mullah Mansoor praised Adif’s humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan and highlighted the country’s ample resources for energy production.
He emphasized that Afghanistan currently offers a favorable environment for investment in all sectors, assuring the Turkish delegation of the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of investors and their assets.
In response, Adif officials pledged to encourage Turkish investors to explore and capitalize on investment opportunities in Afghanistan, signaling a potential boost in economic and developmental cooperation between the two nations.
Business
Uzbek envoy to Pakistan discusses Trans-Afghan Railway project with Pakistani minister
The Trans-Afghan Railway project is expected to serve as a powerful stimulus for trade and economic integration among numerous countries in the region
Regional connectivity projects including the Termez-Kabul railway line, the Trans-Afghan Railway, and the multimodal Belarus-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan transport corridor, are key to the region’s success, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan Alisher Tukhtayev said during a meeting with Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Friday.
The two officials discussed a range of issues as well as coordinating efforts to ensure stability and deepen economic integration in the region.
Asif however pointed out that Tashkent has become an important hub for regional cooperation, Pakistani media reported Monday.
Special focus was given to the implementation of the Trans-Afghan Railway project, which is expected to serve as a powerful stimulus for trade-economic integration to numerous countries.
The ambassador said the governments of Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are actively cooperating in the implementation of joint economic and infrastructure projects and one of them is the construction of the Trans-Afghan Railway.
He said the “Termez-Kabul-Peshawar” railway project plays an important role in restoring ties of regional connectivity between Central and South Asia.
He added that once the project is launched, the volume of trade will increase significantly and shipping costs will decrease.
Tukhtayev said the railway connectivity will contribute hugely to regional stability and overall prosperity by aiding Afghanistan’s economic recovery.
He also said the project will facilitate the delivery of Uzbek goods to world markets through Pakistani ports and will open up a new route for Pakistan to export its products to Central Asian, and European markets.
According to him, the Trans-Afghan railway will be able to carry up to 20 million tons of cargo per year, and transportation costs will decrease by 30-35% and timing of deliveries will be cut from two weeks to three to four days.
He also stated that the international cooperation project on the development of the multimodal transport corridor Belarus-Russia-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan-Afghanistan–Pakistan is being actively promoted.
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