The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) once again initiated holding Economic Development Expo and Matchmaking Conference
of the private sector of Afghanistan in Tajikistan in pursuit of its efforts to ensure expansion of economic and trade relations with the Central Asian countries. The exhibition, held in early Saratan of the ongoing solar year [June 2010] for three days in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, was attended by about 300 Afghan business companies and some traders from Central Asian and other regional countries including China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Major goals behind holding the exhibition and matchmaking conference were as following:
- Ensuring further expansion of economic and business relations between Afghanistan and Tajikistan;
- Finding joint investment opportunities among Afghan and Tajik investors and investors from other Central Asian countries;
- Introducing export products and services of the Afghan companies to the Central Asian countries;
- Finding solutions to the problems and challenges in the fields of trade, transportation, transit and travel of Afghan traders to Tajikistan.
The following production, export and service companies exhibited their products in The Second Economic Developments Exhibition of Afghanistan in Tajikistan:
- Service sector including airlines and banks;
- Agribusiness products including rice, dry and fresh fruits and vegetables;
- Mining sector including marble, gems and semi-precious stones companies;
- Handicraft sector including handmade carpets, fur, Afghan cloths and dishes;
- Electronic and machinery sector including motorcycles, fans, refrigerators, etc;
- Food sector including beverages, sweets, tea, chocolate and biscuits; and
- Construction and logistics sectors.
In addition to the members of the board of directors and the chief executive officer of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries and about 300 traders, investors and entrepreneurs of the private sector, some high-ranking government officials, particularly Dr. Gholam Mohammad Yailaqi, deputy minister of commerce and industries for trade affairs and a number of deputy-ministers and directors of the ministries of mines, economy and finance had attended the exhibition.
Based on primarily evaluations, the results of the exhibition and matchmaking conference are announced as following:
- Creation of close relations between senior officials of the governments, chambers of commerce and private sector activists of the two countries, Afghanistan and Tajikistan in order to consolidate and expand economic and business relations;
- Identification of joint investment opportunities between Afghan and Tajik investors;
- Providing of marketing opportunities for the products and services of the present sectors in the exhibition;
- Sales of 75% of the products in the exhibition;
- Afghan traders were provided with the opportunity to sign agreements and contracts;
- Total value of the contracts and sales in the exhibition is estimated at more than six million dollars.
The exhibition and matchmaking conference were held by the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Tajikistan and in coordination with the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency and the Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan with financial support of the technical assistance organization of Germany.
It is worth mentioning that the exhibition and the matchmaking conference were sponsored by the Kam Air Airline, Afghan United Bank and Azizi Bank.
