Karzai aims to lure investors into "greedy market"
Rachel Morarjee
May 9, 2006
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/f316b7c8-df7d-11da-afe4-0000779e2340.html

As economic development in Afghanistan's slowly gathers pace, the Afghan government is seeking to attract a greater amount of investment to the war-torn country. In a recent speech, the Afghan President said that profits for investors were plentiful. Although most of the current investment is in construction and infrastructure development, the Government has prioritized energy, mining and agribusiness as growth sectors.

While potential investors still have to contend with considerable red-tape, the Afghan government has shown a willingness to accommodate foreign investors. Recently, the government approved the sale of several state-owned industries and is currently passing laws that would make entry of foreign investors into Afghanistan easier. Afghanistan has a lot to offer would-be investors – in addition to possessing rich mineral resources, it provides a key route for oil and gas as it makes its way to south Asian countries such as India and Sri Lanka.