One day, the foreign financial aid Afghanistan is receiving today will diminish and by that time this country has to find means of standing on its own feet. Is our government thinking about this?

According to economic experts Afghanistan will need foreign economic aid at least until 2023. But that is just estimation. Keeping in view the current economic standing of Afghanistan, one can easily say that Afghanistan – in order to stand on its own feet – would need longer terms. If the international aid poured in Afghanistan in last decade had been properly utilized, the condition would be much better today.

One of the most annoying points for people of Afghanistan is that their country stands among the most corrupt countries of the world and over the time this problem has become more severe making all financial assistance go futile. If the Afghan government and its international backers are desirous to see development in security, political and economic condition and provision of better civil services, the first they need to root out is corruption.

For an economy to nurture well and fast, investment plays the role of a backbone. As we can see, both domestic and foreign investments are negligible in Afghanistan due to high business risks. These risks are given birth by lingering insecurity and political and social instability. The security expenditure is so high in Afghanistan that if it could have been transferred to this country’s reconstruction, we would see miracles. Unfortunately, despite huge investment on security, the situation seems to be deteriorating further.  

Afghanistan is a country where every sector requires investment – mining, construction, energy, telecommunication, agriculture, transport, education are only a few. But again security is the biggest problem which has made Afghanistan a hard place for doing business. Businessmen face serious obstacles. If they somehow try to overcome the strict policies of government at hand, on the other they have to keep themselves and their businesses safe from terrorists, kidnappers and other criminals.

Afghans are needed to be taught to catch fishes, rather than being gifted fishes. Afghanistan has vast deposits of natural resources. For centuries, these resources have remained underutilized. Afghanistan with trillions of dollars worth mineral resources beneath its earth is one of the poorest countries of the world. It is felt like the time has come to properly utilize Afghanistan’s own deposits for its development and reconstruction. This is the only way economic prosperity can be achieved in Afghanistan.