The Chamber of Trade and Investment on Sunday called the peace deal between the Taliban and the US a positive step for trust-building in the private sector, but officials in the chamber said they still have dire concerns about the future of the economic system because of the political uncertainty of a post-peace deal government.
Officials in the chamber say it is not yet clear when peace will come or how the economy will fare.
Private sector representatives see the US-Taliban peace deal as an important step toward building confidence in the country but they voiced strong concerns about the country’s economic future.
“Will Afghanistan’s economic model be a market economy system after negotiations?” asked Sayed Zaman Hashemi, CEO of Chamber of Trade and Investment, who said “when the political system is talked about, it will be an opportunity for the private sector to make one’s voice strong. They have to talk about the private sector and its position in this.”
“The peace process also involves the private sector. I urge the government to have at least a representative of the private sector on these issues to take into account the views of the private sector as well,” said Ziaulhaq Amarkhail, businessman.
On the other hand, a number of members of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) do not consider the economic situation of the country to be currently tenable, and they say that the government and the international community should create opportunities for the development of labor in the country.
“They should always consider the economic aspects and implications of their decisions…in all negotiations, as most Afghans are below the poverty line,” said Ibrahim Jafari, Vice Chairman at ICC.
The prolongation of the peace process and the election process have slowed the work and investment in the country and a number of experts have said that the government and the international community must do more to build trust in the private sector.
