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Pay cuts for Ghani and ministers, but pay rises for govt workers

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The Ministry of Finance has finally agreed to increase the salaries of government employees, while the president and ministers will all take a pay cut.  

The increased budget spends for government employees has been requested repeatedly by the Wolesi Jirga’s Finance and Budget Commission, which has twice rejected the draft budget on the grounds of salaries and the allocation of emergency funding.

The finance ministry announced on Monday it has allocated an additional 12 billion Afghanis (AFN) to salaries, of which half will be added to the salary fund at the start of the fiscal year (in April) and the balance will be added to the mid-year budget cycle.

Khalid Painda, the acting finance minister, also said the president and ministers will take pay cuts. 

Members of the Wolesi Jirga commission felt however that the full amount should be rolled out immediately but the finance ministry said this was not possible. 

“The salary increase must be accepted as 12 billion Afghanis, and this money for salaries must be paid at the beginning of the fiscal year; in most of the codes (funds) there is extra money, which needs to be reduced and the salaries increased,” said the committee chair Mir Afghan Safi.

The decision to increase the amount allocated to salaries comes after negotiations between the finance and budget committee of parliament and the finance ministry. 

“On the issue of salaries, I promise to get six billion to finance the salaries, and we will implement it in the middle of the year and allocate twelve billion for next year,” said Painda.

In addition to this, members of the commission stated that government must respect the legislative authorities of the House.

“All those institutions that have not gotten a vote of confidence from the parliament are not authorized to sign financial letters, and if they do, they are accountable to the law in financial documents,” said Mohammad Azim Mohssini, a member of the Finance and Budget Commission.

However, Wolesi Jirga members who attended the commission’s meeting said part of the dispute over the draft budget has been resolved but that government needs to agree to other recommendations so that the budget can be tabled in parliament for approval.

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Oman and Afghanistan explore ways to further enhance bilateral trade relations

During the meeting, Rawas and Muttaqi agreed to facilitate trade exchange between the two countries and utilize the available opportunities for mutual benefit.

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Mutaqqi in Oman
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Faisal Abdullah Al Rawas, Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, for talks on boosting trade relations between the two countries.

The meeting comes within the context of promoting relations between Oman and Afghanistan in the economic and trade sectors.

The two sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in the fields of trade, investment and economy, as well as developing ties in the logistics and tourism sectors.

They also touched on supporting joint projects that contribute to stimulating economic growth.

The two sides underlined the importance of exchanging experiences and knowledge in those fields.

During the meeting, Rawas and Muttaqi agreed to facilitate trade exchange between the two countries and utilise the available opportunities for mutual benefit.

Muttaqi traveled to Oman on Sunday. The foreign ministry announced that the trip was made at the invitation of the Omani Foreign Minister.

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Iran’s non-oil export to Afghanistan up 31% in 10 months

Iran exported non-oil commodities valued at $1.9 billon to Afghanistan between March 20 last year and January 19 this year.

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The value of Iran’s non-oil export to Afghanistan increased by 31 percent in the first ten months of the Persian calendar against the same period last year, Tehran officials confirmed.

The Tehran Times reported that Iran exported non-oil commodities valued at $1.9 billon to Afghanistan between March 20 last year and January 19 this year.

The spokesperson for the Trade Development Committee of the House of Industry, Mining, and Trade, Ruhollah Latifi, said Afghanistan was the fourth top export destination of Iranian products among Iran’s neighbors in the mentioned ten months.

In a meeting with an Iranian trade delegation in Kabul last August, Afghanistan’s interim Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund said that his country is eager to attract Iranian investors in order to develop the Afghan mining industry, generate solar electricity and expand railway connectivity.

The Iranian delegation also proposed to launch a joint special industrial zone with Afghanistan.

Noting that Afghanistan has turned into a good place for making investment, Baradar said that the relevant ministries and organizations will cooperate and work closely with investors.

The Iranian delegation, made up of economic and trade players, also held a separate meeting with Afghanistan’s acting minister of commerce Haji Nooruddin Azizi. They called for the formation of a joint economic-mining zone between the two neighboring countries.

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Commerce Ministry signs MoU with 15 enterprises

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The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) says it has signed memoranda of understanding worth over $12 million with 15 organizations to support and develop small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

During the signing ceremony, ministry officials emphasized that project implementation must prioritize support for individuals genuinely engaged in economic activities.

The ministry stated that 7,673 people in Kabul, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Balkh, Kandahar, Logar, Kunduz, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Badghis, Faryab, Jowzjan, Nangarhar, Takhar, and Bamyan provinces will benefit from these initiatives. 

The ministry’s spokesman Abdul Salam Jawad Akhundzada said, “These 15 organizations will execute developmental, skill-building, and educational projects valued at $12,475,406, focusing on entrepreneurship training, carpet industry development, jewelry, and handicrafts.”

Private sector representatives welcomed the move, stating that supporting SMEs will positively impact Afghanistan’s economic and developmental activities.

They added that consistent investment in the carpet industry could curb widespread unemployment and play a pivotal role in rural economic development. 

Private sector members further noted that small businesses fulfill essential livelihood needs for communities and will contribute to training professional and technical personnel, as well as fostering growth in large-scale industries. 

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