8am: Speculations have mounted that China will seek dominance over Afghanistan’s mineral resources, particularly its lithium, gold and other rare-earth ore deposits, following the final US withdrawal from the country in August 2021. Local sources said on Thursday, January 12, that experts from two Chinese firms have visited Ghazni province for technical studies of lithium
Ariana: The US government spent nearly $1 billion to fund critical mineral surveys, mineral exploration, regulatory reforms and capacity development for the former Afghan government, according to the report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR. “US efforts in Afghanistan’s extractives industry presented one of the greatest opportunities for the Afghan government
LA Times: Jawed Noorani, an Afghan mining expert, estimated that the Taliban was collecting more than $1 billion a year in taxes on minerals. Mansfield said the regime has also doubled coal exports to Pakistan this year compared with the year before, taking advantage of a spike in prices because of the war in Ukraine.
Ariana: [Taliban] Afghan Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said this week that 250 domestic and foreign firms have submitted their bids for the iron mine in Herat and lead mine in Ghor province. Esmatullah Burhan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, said that it is evaluating the bids and will soon announce
Fox News: Western mining can do what Western militaries never could: put Afghanistan on the path of self-sufficiency. Afghanistan has vast mineral wealth. Mining could bootstrap economic development for the Afghan people. It could also secure for the United States the raw materials necessary to boost semiconductor and clean energy production, as intended by the
Ariana: Speaking at a press conference as part of the new ministerial accountability program, Shahabuddin Delawar, acting minister of mines and petroleum, said that the ministry signed contracts for the extraction of 158 small mines over the past year. Click here to read more (external link).
Bloomberg: Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. has held talks with Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani on potential mining sector opportunities in the nation, which has struggled to accelerate development of an estimated $1 trillion worth of minerals deposits. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV: Death toll has risen to 16 following Tuesday’s explosion at a coal mine in Afghanistan’s northern Samangan province, local officials said. Six others have been wounded in the explosion which happened in Dara-i-Suf Bala district. Dead bodies of eight miners were recovered from the blast site, but eight others were still trapped. Click here
Tolo News: President Ashraf Ghani ordered the termination of two major mining contracts – for Balkhab copper deposit in Sar-e-Pul province and for a gold deposit in Badakshan — during a High Economic Council meeting last week. The order was confirmed by Abdul Qadir Mutfi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum. Finance Ministry spokesman
Associated Press: A company founded by a London-based banker signed agreements Friday with the government of Afghanistan to explore for gold and copper in the north of the country. Centar Ltd. said it hopes to begin exploration in two sites next year and would within a year become one of the largest private-sector employers in the