The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum says it has signed mining extraction contracts with over 200 small and large companies in the past three years.

According to Homayoun Afghan, the ministry's spokesperson, these contracts have created employment opportunities for over 150,000 people in the sector.

Homayoun Afghan said, "We have about 30 active contracts for various minerals in the provinces of the country, including investments in lead, zinc, iron, coal, and others in different volumes, with a large-scale investment amounting to $7 billion."

Some economic experts consider the standardized extraction of minerals within the country to be beneficial for Afghanistan's economic growth.

Abdul Nasir Reshtia, an economic affairs expert, said, "The country's mines should be extracted professionally and technically, and the processing and production should be done within the country because no country has achieved economic growth by selling raw materials."

Ahmad Fardos Behgozin, another economic affairs expert, said: "Processing mines within our beloved country, Afghanistan, can create job opportunities; this allows us to extract them properly and provide employment for the unemployed, which is beneficial for Afghanistan's economic progress and credibility."

Meanwhile, the extraction contracts for Qashqari oil, Takhar gold, and Mes Aynak in Logar have been awarded to Chinese investors, with over one billion dollars invested in these three mines.