Afghan Ministry of Mines on Study Trip to South Africa

A delegation of the Afghan Ministry of Mines headed by the Deputy Minister of Mines, His Excellency Mr. M. T. Durrani, and twenty engineers from the Departments of Inspectorate and Cadastre went on a mining study trip to South Africa organised by GAF AG, Germany.

The Ministry of Mines (MoM) in Afghanistan is moving from being a producer of minerals and other commodities to a policy-maker, promoter and regulator. This is supported by a technical consultancy provided by GAF AG and being part of the World Bank funded "Sustainable Development of Natural Resources Project" (SDNRP). The consultancy specifically aims to establish and operate a Title Registry and Cadastre Department and to set-up a Mining and Hydrocarbons Inspectorate.

As part of the institutional capacity building and human resources development a study trip was organised to South Africa. It started with a one week training programme at Goldfields Academy, and was followed by three weeks of visiting a wide cross section of mining operations in South Africa exposing the members of the Ministry of Mines to state-of-the-art mining techniques and equipment. Additionally to this, environmental, social and occupational health and safety aspects were covered. An exchange of experience and establishment of contacts between Afghanistan and South Africa has been started.

Afghanistan has rich natural resources many of them still untapped. The development of this potential will be an important step towards the eradication of poverty and bringing peace and prosperity to Afghanistan. The proper management and regulation of the mining sector is essential for effective extraction of the largely unexploited minerals and hydrocarbons.