The Taliban’s National Procurement Commission has approved six major development projects worth 828 million Afghanis, equivalent to more than $12 million, according to a statement released Tuesday.
At the commission’s regular meeting, chaired by the Taliban deputy chief minister, Abdul Ghani Baradar, at the Marmarin Palace in Kabul, 28 projects were submitted for review. Of those, six were approved, 19 were amended, one contract was annulled, and two were referred back for further evaluation.
Among the approved projects are the construction of several internal roads in Kabul and the completion of electricity supply and distribution work in multiple provinces, the statement said.
It added that all six projects will be funded by the Taliban administration.
One of the deferred projects will undergo a cost renegotiation with the winning contractor, while another will be reassessed by a designated committee. The findings are expected to be reported back to the commission’s leadership, the statement said.
The statement did not provide timelines or the names of the companies involved.
This comes as Afghanistan is grappling with deep economic crisis, particularly after the mass deportations from Iran and Pakistan and in the wake of the Taliban’s increasing restrictions on the rights of women and girls.
