Taliban on Wednesday signed a $46.3 million contract with an Indian company to build and equip advanced laboratory complexes at Afghanistan’s main border crossings and in Kabul.
The agreement was signed between the Afghanistan Standards and Quality Authority and the Indian company TCRC during a ceremony attended by Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban deputy prime minister for economic affairs.
According to Taliban officials, the five-year contract covers the construction and equipping of laboratory facilities in Kabul and at nine border ports across the country.
The project includes laboratories focused on testing construction materials, electrical equipment and products related to textiles, leather and paper, Faizullah Tamim, the Taliban’s head of the standards authority, said.
He said the company would also install advanced laboratory equipment, rehabilitate existing testing systems and introduce foreign specialists to help train Afghan staff.
Under the agreement, technical personnel from the authority are expected to receive both domestic and international training programs.
Tamim also said the project includes efforts to obtain internationally recognized certifications from the International Organization for Standardization, known as ISO.
He described the agreement as an important step toward improving product quality control, supporting domestic production and preventing the import of substandard goods into Afghanistan.
This comes as border crossings with Pakistan have remained closed following border clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces.
The World Food Program has said that the continued the border closures have contributed to rising food prices and increased pressure on Afghan families.
