Taliban Administration Approves Special Economic Zones in Seven Afghan Provinces
The Taliban administration’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs has approved a plan to establish special economic zones in seven Afghan provinces: Kabul, Balkh, Nangarhar, Kandahar, Herat, Paktia, and Kunduz. This initiative, ordered by the Taliban leadership, assigns the Ministry of Industry and Trade the responsibility of identifying lands and coordinating with relevant agencies to launch these zones.
According to the plan, the economic and industrial activities of each zone will be determined based on local capacities. Efforts will be made to provide necessary infrastructure and services to facilitate the presence of domestic and foreign investors. The primary goal of this program is to attract new investment, strengthen domestic production, and improve foreign trade.
However, experts warn that the success of this plan depends on the level of real investment, access to adequate infrastructure, and the creation of a suitable environment for private sector activity, which have so far faced significant limitations under the Taliban’s economic management.
The Taliban administration claims that establishing these zones can increase export capacity and help balance the country’s trade. Nevertheless, it has yet to provide clear responses to major challenges such as sanctions, lack of banking facilities, and economic security. Additionally, criticisms regarding the lack of transparency in similar projects of the administration have been raised, which could hinder attracting genuine investors.
