USTDA Grant Will Support Cement Production in Afghanistan

The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has granted the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Industries $1.2 million to partially fund a study that will facilitate the development of the cement industry in Afghanistan. ?EUR??,,????'??Cement is one of the building blocks of the Afghan reconstruction effort, and this cement study, which will look at the rehabilitation of existing plants, as well as the establishment of a new plant, has the potential to make a significant contribution to those reconstruction efforts,?EUR??,,????'?? said Thelma J. Askey, USTDA Director.

Askey, along with His Excellency Dip. Engineer Mir. M. Sediq, Minister of Mines and Industries, signed the grant agreement on behalf of the U.S. and Afghan governments.

A lack of production facilities has severely limited Afghanistan?EUR??,,????'???s capacity to produce cement ?EUR??,,????'??? so much so, that Afghanistan has the lowest production of cement per capita in the world. The USTDA study will also include an assessment of existing and half-built cement plants in Afghanistan, an analysis of plans to construct a new cement plant in Afghanistan, and the results of a cement market study.

?EUR??,,????'??This USTDA grant will provide the Afghan government with the information needed to promote growth in the cement sector, revitalizing it and creating employment opportunities and hope for the Afghan people,?EUR??,,????'?? said Sediq.

The USTDA has provided more than $9 million in funding to support reconstruction and development in Afghanistan since 2002, including telecommunications, oil and gas, civil aviation, human capacity building, power, and hotels.