Afghanistan Times
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AT-KABUL: Mohammad Qurban Haqjo on Sunday formally assumed office as chief of Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA).
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah, introduced Haqjo as chief of the AISA on Sunday.
President Ghani selected Haqjo as head of the AISA out of five candidates last week.
Speaking at his introduction, Abdullah termed Haqjo as an active and talented person.
He urged Haqjo to promote investment and devise special plans to resolve the challenges faced by investors.
Mohammad Qurban Haqjo termed bureaucracy, corruption, low economic growth, insecurity and lack of government’s support as main challenges before investment. He said that economic growth is not possible without the government’s support to the private sector.
He said that lack of safety and support from investors resulted in capital flight, which in turn hurdles economic growth.
While explaining his short and long-term plans, Haqjo said that he will investigate previous and current spending of AISA, conduct survey regarding needs and demands of investors and will assess current potential of the agency.
Haqjo’s appointment came after widespread criticism from traders and investors over delay in selecting new chief of the agency.
During 2014 presidential election campaigns, Haqjo resigned as the chairman of Afghanistan Chambers of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) to officially announce his support for Abdullah Abdullah.
AISA has been established to support and encourage national and international investors to invest in different fields. The main duty of the agency is issuing licenses to private companies in Afghanistan.
