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United States
Emphasizes Local Purchasing In
Afghanistan
11
November 2009
The United States,
which has already invested billions of dollars to promote
 security
and reconstruction in Afghanistan since 2001, is investing millions
in the
Afghan economy simply by purchasing goods and services on the local
market and promoting even more such purchasing through a new program
– “Afghan First.”
On 11th November 2009 a press conference was held
addressing the same issue with the presence of US Ambassador, ISAF
Commander, United Nation’s PTD representative and more than 40
Afghanistan’s private sector traders and entrepreneurs at the
Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries.
ACCI’s Chairman Mr. Sher Khan Farnood not only
appreciated and encouraged the protection and support of US
government in the development and growth of Afghanistan’s economy in
the last 8 years but also added that according to the articles 10th,11th
and 13th of the Afghanistan’s Constitution on observing
the Market Economy, various serious challenges were being faced
by the Afghan private sector
traders yet they have always been able to overcome those challenges
and boost up their activities day by day.
He further anticipated the
role of US in promoting the business activities of the private
sector and owed the quality service provision while representing the
Afghan traders and entrepreneurs community.
Similarly, H.E
Karl Aiken Berry,
US Ambassador
urged on Local Procurements in order to
increase the national
employment level, maximize the value of products and foster the
competition and entrepreneurial spirit essential to a growing free
market economy.
He
pointed out that the policy enables procurement officers to favor
Afghan vendors over other competitors such that; for smaller
contracts, they can reach out directly to Afghan suppliers to do
business and for larger contracts, they can limit the competition to
Afghan firms or firms that employ a majority of Afghan citizens.
He
further added that one of the main development challenges in Afghanistan is Unemployment which is not only a
concern for the
Afghanistan’s private sector
community but also for the international community. The Afghan First
policy is one of the steps forwards vanishing unemployment, what is
required from the Afghan traders, is the improved standards,
quality, and price, along with determinations and effective measures
to fight corruption.
Consequently he
emphasized on importance of holding on to the highest standards not
only for the customer but also the producer. He further stressed on
the Private sector’s demand from the Government for provision of
required protection to develop business and an environment free of
corruption where laws and rules are transparent and fairly enforced
where government understands and acts as per the demand to create
market oriented framework required for economic growth of a country.
Concluding the conference, Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, Chief Executive
Officer,.JPG)
Afghanistan
Chamber of Commerce and Industries while expressing the obstacles
facing the private sector in the process of achieving procurement
contracts and methods of fulfilling the requirements added,” service
providing capacity of Afghans is completely different as compare to
the year 2002. At the present Afghan companies produces and exports
their quality products as per the international standards.
Service provision of the private companies in various constructing,
producing and manufacturing,banking,
aviation and telecommunication sections; has shown a considerable
improvement. The increase and improvements in the labor capacity
building and provision of services to neighboring countries
indicates the standardization of Afghan private sector”.
The Chief Executive Officer, Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and
Industries added that, in past, the conditions for achieving
procurement contracts from the International Community specially the
Coalition forces, was counted a problem due to lack of appropriate
and transparent policy but at the present by announcing the “Afghan
first policy” it is expected that the Afghan trading companies would
achieve various trading opportunities,
Moreover, it is expected that the service
provided and the products manufactured by these companies have to
meet the international standards.
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