The Taliban’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum announced Monday the signing of contracts with five private companies to extract lead and zinc from five mining blocks in Bamiyan Province. However, the revenue generated will be directed toward development projects in southern and western Afghanistan, including Kandahar, bypassing the province of origin.
According to a statement from the ministry, the contracts are collectively valued at 1.797 billion afghanis ($22.7 million) and cover a total area of approximately 3.86 million square meters.
The statement detailed plans to use the revenue for projects such as the construction of a 50-kilometer road in Uruzgan, a 60-kilometer highway, a hydropower dam, and a water supply project in Kandahar. Additional projects include the construction of 47.3 kilometers of railway in the second section of the fourth phase of the Khaf-Herat railway and a teaching hospital for the University of Wardak.
Under the agreements, Musa Sultan Company will extract lead and zinc from the Sargashtak area of Yakawlang district in Bamiyan. In exchange, the company is obligated to construct the 50-kilometer road in Uruzgan.
Similarly, Afghan-German Bakhtar Company will be responsible for extracting lead and zinc from the Pami Kakrak site in Yakawlang. The company has committed to building the 60-kilometer highway, the hydropower dam, and the water supply project in Kandahar.
Gamma Eagle Company, another contractor, will extract lead and zinc from the Sarsarkhak site in Yakawlang. Its commitments include constructing 47.3 kilometers of the Khaf-Herat railway and building a teaching hospital in Wardak.
The contracts are conditional and span a five-year period, with the possibility of termination if the terms are not met.
Despite the significant mining activity in Bamiyan, no projects have been allocated to the province itself, a decision that has drawn criticism.
Over the past three years, the lack of transparency surrounding the awarding of contracts and the allocation of revenues has been a recurring point of contention among experts and citizens.
