KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani’s pick for the finance minister on Saturday said the economy was in tatters and, if endorsed, he would fix the country’s troubled budget.
Ghani introduced 24 cabinet nominees and heads of two independent departments to lower house for a vote of trust.
Explaining his programmes to lawmakers, ex-ambassador Eklil Hakimi promised to bring financial stability to the country.
His priorities would be introducing a standard tax collection system, economic development, a balanced budget, a determined campaign against graft and promoting the culture of merit.
Delay in funding development projects, he said, had caused an economic downturn and would exhaust current year’s budget. He pledged a thorough evaluation and updating the economic policy.
Hakimi said the development budget would be increased substantially. “If endorsed, I will be a fair finance minister and with the experience I have gained from working fro various national and international agencies, I will improve the current status of our budget.”
Hakimi is a son of Abdul Wakil Hakimi and was born in Kabul. He has an engineering degree from Kabul’s Polytechnic University and obtained education in the US.
Hakimi has worked as deputy foreign minister for political affairs, and Afghanistan’s ambassador to various countries, including the US.
hg/mud
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