3,500 factories added in five years, power shortages remain key challenge — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) says that over the past five years, the number of factories in Afghanistan has increased from around 3,000 to 6,500, providing employment for nearly 450,000 people in the industrial sector overall. However, economic experts identify shortages of electricity and capital, inadequate transportation infrastructure, and a lack of skilled labor as among the major challenges facing the sector. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power on August 15, 2021, and five years have now passed since then. In this report, Pajhwok Afghan News examines the state of Afghanistan’s industrial sector during this period. Increase in the number of manufacturing factories Qari Mohammad Asif Elias, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, told Pajhwok that around 3,000 factories were operating in the country before the Islamic Emirate returned to power. Over the past five years, however, the number of active factories has increased to 6,500, and they are now operating in all provinces of the country. According to him, most factories are located in Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, and Nangarhar. He said these factories operate in sectors including food, plastics, cement, construction materials, pharmaceuticals, cleaning products, machinery, agriculture, iron smelting, PVC, soft drinks, petroleum products, clothing, furniture, stone, ceramics, and other industries. Asif Elias said: “Overall, nearly 450,000 people have…