en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Afghan Taliban's Ministry of Mines signed a $5.49 million contract with Abdul Hamid Faizi Mining and Processing Company to develop the fourth block of the Namaksar salt mine in the Ghorian district of Herat Province, western Afghanistan.
The contract was signed by Taliban Minister of Mines Hedayatullah Badri and a representative of the company. The Ministry of Mines stated that the project covers an area of 9.58 square kilometers with an operational period of 15 years. Under the agreement, the company must pay a royalty of 1,500 Afghanis per ton of salt extracted and operate in accordance with Afghan mining laws and regulations. The company also committed to investing $350,000 in community development projects, which is expected to create approximately 115 direct and indirect jobs.
This agreement is part of the Taliban's strategy to expand the mining sector, which is currently one of the few areas in Afghanistan capable of attracting large-scale private investment. In recent years, the Taliban has signed multiple mineral extraction contracts involving resources such as gold, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, chromite, marble, and gemstones, and has repeatedly called on domestic and international investors to participate in the country's underdeveloped mineral resources.
At the opening ceremony of the Fifth International Industrial and Mining Week Exhibition held in Kabul on July 1, Taliban officials once again promoted mining investment. Ahmad Nabi Zada, Chairman of the Afghanistan Chamber of Industries and Mines, urged investors to fund mineral processing projects, stating that Afghanistan should move away from the model of exporting raw materials. Since returning to power in 2021, with a significant reduction in international aid, the Taliban has increasingly viewed mining as a pillar of economic development and a key source of government revenue. Analysts point out that the lack of transparency in contract awards remains a major concern for utilizing mineral resource revenues to promote national development.
