Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum Shahabuddin Delawar said Saturday at the first “National Conference on Economic Development of Afghanistan” in Paktia province that over the past two years, Afghanistan has progressed more than many countries have in 50 years.

“The countries that gained their independence from another country have not progressed as much in fifty years as we have in two years,” said Delawar.

“You can see that work is going on in every province. Work is going on roads, dams, schools, and universities. We have about 400,000 security forces,” he added.

Speaking at the conference, Acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani said that the Islamic Emirate will continue to work for the country’s improvement, as they sacrificed for its freedom.

Haqqani stated that for decades, Afghans have wished to develop the country by using domestic facilities and personnel, and this wish has been realized with the rule of the Islamic Emirate.

In addition, Acting Minister of Economy Deen Mohammad Nadim stated that there are many economic opportunities in the country and the IEA has more plans to revive the country’s economy.

“According to evaluations, there is a purchasing power of nearly six billion dollars in the domestic market, which has been taken over by imported products; therefore, for the purpose of job creation and poverty reduction, the country’s economic cycle needs to rely on domestic production,” said Nadim

Meanwhile, the Acting Ministers of Higher Education and Education also said at the conference that economic self-sufficiency cannot be achieved without having an educational curriculum equal to global standards and the scientific and educational pillars of the country must be strengthened.