KABUL, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Expressing his joy by singing as the foundation stone was laid for a cement-producing factory, Mohammad Zahor said happily that thousands of people would find jobs once the plant was completed.
"It is a good chance for creating job opportunities for the people of the area to alleviate poverty. It is a good chance to stabilize the economy and develop the country," Zahor told Xinhua.
Running a grocery shop along a road leading to the site of the planned cement plant in Jabal Saraj district of Parwan province, Zahor, 30, suggested, "Construction of factories can create job opportunities and eventually bring changes to the living conditions of the people, and thus bring happiness."
The war-torn nation has been facing severe economic problems, a high unemployment rate, U.S.-slapped sanctions, international isolation, widespread poverty and an influx of returnees, which have further added to the economic hardships of the Afghans.
To overcome the economic challenges and create job opportunities, the Afghan government, in addition to launching and running several essential economic projects, commenced work on the construction of the major cement plant amid public happiness and hope for a better future.
"Job opportunities will be created with the implementation of this project. National revenue will increase and the country's economy will be stabilized. Therefore, construction of this cement factory is vital to stabilizing the economy," Deputy Prime Minister on Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, said in his opening remarks.
This is the second cement plant in Parwan province, and work on the construction of a third cement factory will begin soon.
Valued at around 90 million U.S. dollars, the newly launched cement plant is expected to be completed within three years, with a production capacity of 5,000 tons of cement per 24 hours. It will also create job opportunities for 5,000 people directly.
A handful of cement-producing factories are currently operational or under construction in Afghanistan, a country largely dependent on cement imports. However, the government has been trying to renovate the existing cement plants, while efforts are underway to construct more cement plants in the coming years.
"A high unemployment rate is a big challenge in our society. Our educated people and our experts are jobless and seeking work. Construction of factories like this cement plant can create job opportunities for thousands of people," local economic expert Edris Mohammadi Zazai observed.
Zazai also believes, "No political freedom could be achieved without economic freedom, and building plants like this cement factory can help achieve economic freedom." ■