Afghanistan’s mining sector promoted in Toronto, Canada
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) and the Afghan Embassy in Ottawa promoted the Afghan Mining sector at the world’s leading convention and investor exchange event on mineral exploration and exploitation: the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC).
The annual PDAC Convention—the world’s largest industry event—attracted investors, analysts, mining executives, prospectors, geologists, government officials and students. The Trade Show attracts over 900 exhibitors out of the mining and related sectors. More than 22,000 people from 125 countries attended the event. Industry stakeholder and key players’ interests as well as concerns are identified and discussed by governmental representatives, international organisations and private company members. Quoted from (Wadsam).
Attendees learned about best practices showcased by industry experts. For instance, the global economic outlook regarding precious metals or copper were discussed – an information relevant to Afghanistan. Governance and transparency in the mining sector have also been addressed. The necessity of adhering to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) standards was one of the topics. Afghanistan has been applying for full membership of the EITI since 2010. In addition, ideas on how to improve beneficial cooperation between mining industry stakeholders and local communities were discussed.
The project “Promoting Good Governance in the Extractive Sector in Afghanistan”, funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), provides strategic support to the MoMP, strengthens its line departments in line with good governance criteria and supports the Afghan Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (AEITI). The project therefore contributes to the Afghan National Development Strategy (ANDS) and the National Extractive Industries Excellence Program (NEIEP) and the Afghan National Peace and Development Framework (ANPDF).
