His Excellency Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, attended and delivered an address this afternoon at the Private Sector Conference on Employment Opportunities for Returnees.
During the conference, the Deputy Prime Minister underscored the critical importance of employment and job creation for all citizens, particularly for returnees who are being forcibly deported from neighboring and other countries. He stressed the necessity of devoting serious attention to this matter in order to devise an appropriate response to the challenges posed by migration.
His Excellency Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi referenced the National Employment Conference organized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, which was attended by university professors and experts. He stated that all proposals submitted by businesspeople and skilled individuals, whether residing domestically or abroad, for the purpose of creating employment opportunities for returnees will be received with appreciation. He added that concrete efforts are underway to develop suitable strategies based on such proposals to address the issue.
The Deputy Prime Minister further clarified that substantial measures have been undertaken by the relevant committees to facilitate investment by businesspeople and industrialists intending to return to Afghanistan. To date, 29 businesspeople and industrialists who formerly operated companies and factories abroad have returned and availed themselves of these facilitative mechanisms.
He added that businesspeople and industrialists who have transferred their factories and equipment from abroad to Afghanistan are being granted the following incentives: five-year tax exemptions; customs exemptions for machinery; the right to bring two vehicles per person into Afghanistan without tariffs; exemption from customs and tax duties on existing goods; allocation of land; issuance of two-year visas for returning engineers; provision of housing and land in industrial parks; access to banking services; and the right to invest in the mining and agriculture sectors.
Concluding his remarks, the Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs announced that, following negotiations conducted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the State of Qatar has agreed to issue visas for 700 Afghan workers, who will be officially deployed to Qatar. He expressed optimism that, through mutual cooperation, expanded employment opportunities would be secured for all citizens, particularly returnees.
