Insecurity, graft challenges to entrepreneurship: ACCI

KABUL Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) on Tuesday blamed low investment in Afghanistan and increasing capital flight from the country on the continuation of widespread administrative corruption and insecurity.

Khan Jan Alokozay, ACCI deputy head, said this while addressing ‘The Afghanistan CEO Conference’ held at Kabul Serena Hotel here.

A number of traders, entrepreneurs and ZEER Group as well as media outlets, including Pajhwok Afghan News, attended the conference.

Alokozai said the government had been only able in the past three and a half years to somehow resolve transit problem among five major problems businessmen and investors faced in various sectors --including security, infrastructure, corruption and bureaucracy or slow administrative system.

“As the transit problem has been resolved, Afghanistan is no more dependent on only one port (Karachi Port of Pakistani). Instead, we have four to five other alternative ports which our traders can use to transfer goods out or bring in.”

However, Alokozay said hurdles and problems stemming from the four other unaddressed sectors -- security, graft, lack of infrastructural facilities and equipment, land, electricity and proper linking roads and routes – continued to haunt traders. “As a result, the investment level has dropped significantly and also the capital flow out of the country has increased.”

Matiullah Zaland, business company ‘ZEER Group’ chief, said the information vacuum among manufacturing and business companies and not exchanging views with each others had caused the investors and services’ providers to fail in properly knowing the market’s demand.

“Keeping in view the current situation, it is mandatory for traders and investors to hold joint gatherings and bridge the gap by exchanging information regarding their work and performance.”

Danish Karokhel, Editor-in-Chief of Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN), was also present at the gathering, who said media outlets could greatly help in narrowing the ‘information gap’ through introducing, promoting and improving domestic products.

He while calling as critical media role in publishing information and introducing domestic products, said: “PAN being a leading media outlet has published a number of reports about commercial-economic activities and about problems and challenges traders and capitalists face.”

Danish said better introduction of commercial and industrial activities in the country required businessmen and investors to cooperate with media.

At the end of the conference, about 15 local companies and institutions, including Pajhwok, showcased their products and services at an exposition.

The Afghanistan CEO Conference, an initiative of the ZEER Group, is considered the largest business gathering of entrepreneurs, government officials and top-ranking companies’ executives of Afghanistan.

The previous Afghanistan CEO Conference was held at Kabul Serena hotel on November 17, 2016. The Conference has a very rich agenda which covers overall aspects of business networking and development.

The ZEER Group is one of the leading business services providing group in Afghanistan

sns/ma