2015: the year that was for Afghanistan

2015: the year that was for Afghanistan

The year 2015 was a year of success and disappointments for Afghanistan. While there are many moments to highlight, Wadsam as always chooses to focus on some of the positive aspects.

1. RECCA VI

Kabul hosted the sixth Regional Economic Corporation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA) which was attended by dignitaries from 30 countries. The conference sought to reaffirm international support for a sovereign Afghanistan integrated in the regional and global economy.

2. SOM

Right after RECCA, the Senior Officials Meeting was convened in Kabul. The participants agreed that peace, security and stability are essential for socio-economic development and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region and will have a direct impact on major economic projects like China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

3. TAPI gas pipeline

Work on the much-awaited Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline kicked off in December of 2015. The long-awaited TAPI natural gas project is believed to have a positive impact on Afghanistan’s economy and security.

The project is expected to generate USD 400mn in transit fee and create job opportunities to thousands of Afghans.

Of the nearly 1,800km pipeline, 750km would be passed through Herat, Farah, Helmand and Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan reaching Pakistan.

4. WTO

The World Trade Organization (WTO) formally adopted Afghanistan’s terms of accession into the renowned multilateral trading organization at the WTO’s 10th Ministerial Conference on December 17 in Nairobi, Kenya. Afghanistan will have until June 2016 to ratify the deal and formally become WTO’s 164th Member, joining a global trading organization that accounts for about 95 percent of the world’s commerce.

5. New Parliament Building

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Afghan parliament building that was constructed by India at a cost of USD 90 million.

6. New Defense Ministry

The new Ministry of Defense (MoD) compound, dubbed as Afghanistan’s ‘mini-Pentagon’, was formally inaugurated by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah.