The head of the Afghan Business Council in the UAE, Haji Obaidullah Sader Khail, said that 80 percent of Afghans who invest abroad (in around 50 countries including Afghanistan) are based in the UAE. 

Sader Khail said that around 300,000 Afghans are based in the UAE. 

“80 percent of the major Afghan traders have homes here and central offices and they have business in 45 to 50 countries including Afghanistan,” he said. 

This comes as the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said that efforts are underway to provide further facilities for the traders to invest inside Afghanistan. 

“The investors are out of the country and we are trying to bring the traders into the country so they invest here,” said Mohammad Younus Momand, acting head of the ACCI. 

The economists said that the investment inside the country will play an important role in growing the Afghan economy.

“When the investment took place inside the country, it created job opportunities and with the creation of jobs the livelihood of the people gets better,” said Abdul Naseer Rishtia, an economist. 

“There trade and investment consortium for the Afghan traders and also big projects should be facilitated,” said Asif Nang, an economist. 

This comes as the residents of Kabul called on the Islamic Emirate to pave the way for domestic and foreign investment in the country. 

“They (traders) may transfer their investment to Afghanistan and start their activities, so the people can get out of this severe economic trouble and unemployment," said Nematullah, a resident of Kabul.

"If the investment is placed into Afghanistan, the unemployment will be reduced," said Waleed, a resident of Kabul.

Earlier, the Ministry of Commerce and Investment said that it established a consortium formed of traders from Russia, Pakistan and Iran.