Broschüre: Afghanistan zwischen Abzug und Wahlen - NatWiss

Netzwerk No to War – No to NATO / Deutsch-Afghanisches-FriedensnetzwerkGermans want in on untapped Afghan resourcesby Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi, Naomi ConradAfghanistan is rich in resources. The first German-Afghan dialogue on natural resources aimsto create perspectives for mineral deposits. But there are many obstacles ahead.Afghanistan should no longer be equated with terrorism, but with natural resources. That, atleast, is the aim of the first German-Afghan dialogue on resources, which takes place onFriday, July 5, in Berlin.According to Afghan authorities, the country is in possession of over 2.3 trillion euros worthof natural resources. Among these resources are rare earth minerals, lithium, iron, tungsten,copper, lead, zinc, among others. It is especially lithium and rare earths which interestGermany as an industrial country. They are used, for example, in the manufacturing ofturbines for wind energy.The Afghan Minister of Mines and Petroleum Wahidullah Shahrani and other Afghan governmentrepresentatives are in Berlin to create a foundation for cooperation. Afghanistancan profit from its resources, says Shahrani, adding that Germany is one of Kabul's firstchoices in terms of economic cooperation."We have intensified our cooperation with Germany," he said, because the country is one ofthe largest buyers of minerals. "There are already a number of German consulting companiesactive in Afghanistan."A breeding ground for corruption?At the moment, Afghanistan's economy is very dependent on the agrarian sector. That is setto change. Shahrani believes that the resources sector could make up 40 percent of thecountry's GDP within a decade.But there are obstacles. One of the largest problems is the rampant corruption. To avoidfeeding into that, it would be important to make very careful preparations for Afghanistan tobecome an exporting country, said Zarghona Rassa of the Afghanistan Extractive IndustriesTransparency Initiative (EITI)."Afghanistan is a country still in conflict. The security situation is not sufficient. We have 10provinces in Afghanistan which are very rich in natural resources. But they're not all reachable,"Rassa told DW."The capacities of companies working in these areas are not up to international standards.We work to raise awareness on how to use those resources in a proper way," Rassa added.89