During the official hand-over ceremony, Baghlan’s governor, Mr Abdul Hai Nemati, commented, “Today, we witness the completion of six projects by the Afghan-German Cooperation in Baghlan. We appreciate the initiatives and our German friends’ invaluable support.”
As of today, the doors are open for all female and male students studying at the university’s law and sharia faculties. At the inauguration, the law faculty’s dean, Mr Shekiba Bagramwal, commented, “We are very grateful that the Afghan-German Cooperation’s RoL programme took our suggestions into account. Now our university offers modern libraries for law and sharia students.”
The closing event brought together various political actors and private company representatives – including women. National and regional experts illustrated key concepts of entrepreneurship to the audience. Further, representatives from the Afghan private sector spoke about their experiences in setting up a business using renewable energy sources. High-profile officials such as the deputy minister of MEW’s energy directorate, Mr Mohammad Gul Khulmi, attended the event.
At the official kick-off event, university graduates, civil society representatives, government officials and business experts discussed key concepts of entrepreneurship. Representatives from the private sector and Kabul Polytechnic University further spoke about their experiences on starting businesses. IDEA’s deputy programme director, Mr Zabiullah Tahirzada, highlighted, “Young people are eager to work and they need good job opportunities. A society that can deliver such opportunities is promoting growth and investing in its welfare.”
At the inauguration ceremony, Badakhshan’s education director, Mr Rohullah Mohaqiq, emphasised, “The new accounting institute is a big achievement, not only for the people in Badakhshan but for all Afghans. Students from all over the country can get admission. The support by the Afghan-German Cooperation and other organisations helped us to solve some of the most serious challenges we faced in the education sector. We will not achieve prosperity without proper education. ”
The technical training covered open pit and underground mining processes, health and safety, environmental aspects and survey techniques. The mines inspectors further practiced their skills at a mining plant in Balkh. They are now able to conduct field inspections properly of about 55 mines in the area they are responsible for in the provinces they work in. They can examine whether mining activities comply with norms, standards, and regulations and check if the extracted volumes correspond to the values agreed in the contracts.
The Head of the German Cooperation at the German Embassy in Kabul, Mr Uwe Gehlen stated: "Helping the Afghan people to overcome poverty and to strengthen their self-reliance is of genuine interest to German Cooperation. We are looking forward to a continuous collaboration with the ARTF to achieve these goals.” The Afghan Minister of Finance, Mr Eklil Hakimi, added: “The government of Afghanistan appreciates Germany’s support in assisting Afghanistan on its path to building a stable democracy.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the Head of Balkh’s PRD, Mr Mohibullah Quraishy, emphasised: “The realisation of this capacity development project enables us to deliver better services for people living in Balkh. I want to thanks Germany for the support”. Dr Robert Klinke, the German Consul General to Afghanistan, said: “This is an excellent success story of the Afghan-German partnership for addressing substantial needs and implementing projects.”
Germany’s Consul General stated: “These projects share the vision of sustainable improvements, development and modernisation. I congratulate all officials and stakeholders on having the foresight to bring all five projects forward that are now going to benefit so many people – men and women, boys and girls.”
A Sharia student said: “It was great to learn more about justice institutions, their procedures and to know that there are possibilities for the female student to work as professional lawyers”.
Entering the job market in the justice sector is challenging for female graduates. The conference aimed at informing female law students about the various career opportunities and meeting law practitioners. A series of similar events will follow, supporting access to the job market for female law students.
