Press release

During the past 15 days, about 20 Chinese tutors gave lessons to 15 lecturers from Afghan universities. The participants were divided into six groups, according to the different topics covered. The small group sizes allowed the Afghan lecturers to gain in-depth knowledge in various areas. In mining economy, for example, they estimated and calculated the cost of mining (taking into account environmental issues) and compared it with expected revenues.  Such calculations are essential to assure the sustainability of future mining projects.

At the ground-breaking ceremony, Mr Ferozuddin Feroz, the Minister of Public Health, highlighted: “Upon completion of this hospital’s construction, access of health services to mothers and children living in Balkh and nearby provinces will be considerably improved.” Mr Alexander Fierley, the Deputy German Consul added: “The mother and child hospital will be an important step in fighting child diseases as well as mother and child mortality. We encourage the Afghan authorities to manage the hospital sustainably.”

To open the media meeting, the Director of the Ministry of Energy and Water’s (MEW) Hydro-geology Department, the Director of the Afghanistan Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Corpo-ration (AUWSSC), the KfW water project coordinator as well as a civil society activist gave short speeches on two questions: Why is ground water important and how can it be used sustainably?

President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Abdullah Abdullah as well as various representatives of the international community attended the event.

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 keyplayer’s interests as well as concerns are identified and discussed by governmental representatives, international organisations and private company members.

One of the interns, Ms Salma, expressed her hope that this programme would enable all participants to find a job and “overcome the challenges that our families and the community are still facing.” Another intern, Ms Badria, added that the main challenge for female graduates was their lack of professional experience. “Fortunately, I and seven other interns already found a job at government institutions in Badakhshan”, she said.

In addition, female employment benefits the income of individual households and helps boosting Afghanistan’s economic development.

“All citizens should know about the importance of this resolution. The Afghan government should perform according to international regulations. The participation of women should not be symbolic only. Women should be assigned to decision making positions in different sectors”, said Dr Anis Gul Akhgar, Gender Specialist at the Governor’s Office.

Up until today, the lack of proper access to water inhibited the DoJ’s work. Trucks had to deliver water to the building which interrupted the workflow. Water shortages reduced the efficiency of employees who found it hard to concentrate – particularly on hot summer days. “First of all, I am very happy about the water supply system’s implementation. I am happy  that mutual cooperation between the Department of Economy and the Department of Justice resulted in water access for both sides.”, said Mr Akhtar Mohammad Khairzadah, Acting Governor of Samangan province.

The Balkh RTA organised and hosted the training, with the support of the Afghan-German Cooperation’s Regional Capacity Development programme (RCD). It covered advanced training on technical computer programmes for editing, graphic design as well as journalistic competencies. Mr Mohammad Sharif Habib, one of the participants of the training, explained: “Thanks to the training I was able to considerably enhance my computer skills. It will make my work much easier and from now on, I will be able to perform my tasks in more professional manner.”