Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) on Wednesday disclosed the results of a report on the two years of governance in Afghanistan where it highlighted the need for government to address problems faced by refugees and to further regulate revenue collection from the mining industry.
“The report is about migration governance, it is about urban governance, about mining governance particularly the extraction (of minerals) sector,” said AREU chairperson Orzala Nemat at an event where the report was released.
First Lady Rula Ghani, who was in attendance, welcomed the study.
“Any effort to improve governance in Afghanistan should start with serious assessment and evaluation,” she said.
However, the Ministry of Mines and the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations, which were both criticized in the report, had mixed reactions.
“Unfortunately, your (AREU’s) findings are incorrect. You should have asked the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations if you did not have the opportunity to at least study and review the websites and activities of the ministry,” Refugees and Repatriations Minister Sayed Husain Alemi Balkhi said.
“The situation which I have experienced in the past month is far worse than it (was mentioned in the report). The Ministry of Mines is grappling with a lack of leadership – not only on one level but on many levels,” said Nargis Nehan, acting minister of mines.
AREU has suggested government should take practical steps to address the problems faced by refugees instead of “introducing strategies” for this purpose.
Regarding the mining sector, the report has suggested that the extraction of minerals at mines should be handled professionally.
It has also warned about the possibility of “an increase in corruption” in the mining revenue collection system.