Reconstruction

There is a lot of discussion related to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Some believe that the interim government has enough knowledge and human resources to come up with short term and long-term reconstruction projects. Others believe that we should allow the foreign investors to build whatever they feel like as long as it benefits the people of Afghanistan. In order to come up with a very cohesive plan we need to take advantage of both of these strategies.

The current government has the old master plan and has access to the original drafters who can update the plan with new projects and initiatives. This will enable us to present a viable development plan to foreign entities interested in rebuilding Afghanistan. There is no shortage of projects in Afghanistan and it can benefit from all sorts of initiatives, small and large-scale projects. The important issue is the selection of projects based on need, strategic importance, rate of return and benefit, time and money investment, and probability of success.

Project Selection Based on Population

The following criteria should be considered when funding reconstruction projects in Afghanistan.

• Projects should be initiated in most populated provinces in Afghanistan.
• Projects should be sized properly for Provinces, cities, and villages. It is most beneficial to start some of the projects in small villages, which will prevent people from traveling to major cities seeking jobs. In many instances they don’t find a job and to support themselves and their families they commit criminal acts.
• Projects should be implemented in provinces where there is a big influx of refugees. It is important that these cities have the infrastructure to support the returning Afghan refugees until they settle in their homes.
• Initial investments should be made in projects that have already started but lack sufficient capital to continue or employ more people. One such project is the Canal Project in Jalalabad that employs only 400 people but has the capacity to provide jobs for more than 5000 employees.

Project Selection Based on Need

Regardless of the population there are some projects that cannot wait and must start immediately. The medical needs of the Afghan people are on top of the list. Second to the hospitals and medical supplies are the need for the reconstruction of the roads, telecommunication, and power.

• Hospitals: All medical facilities in the Afghanistan lack the proper equipment fro diagnostic and treatment of the patients. The hospitals also lack the basic medication such as anesthetic and painkillers. Proper medication can be purchased in the market but it requires a large amount of money.
• Roads: Virtually all of the roads in Afghanistan require repairs. The transportation system needs to be completely revamped. It takes more than seven hours to travel from Kabul to Jalalabad, a distance of 148km.
• Telecommunication: The telecommunication system in Afghanistan needs to build from ground up. There is a great opportunity for wireless technology until the fiber optic solution is put in place.
• Power: All of the major cities in Afghanistan are on electricity ration because there are no one sources of power production that can produce enough power to support any city 24x7. Solar power may be a viable solution.

AZ