Mapping Afghanistan’s untapped natural resources
Al Jazeera
Afghanistan is believed to hold more than $1 trillion worth of mineral resources but faces challenges in untapping it.
Deep beneath the ground in one of the world’s poorest countries sits at least $1 trillion of untapped mineral resources, according to a report published by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum [PDF]. The South Asian country of 38 million people is estimated to hold more than 2.2 billion tonnes of iron ore, 1.3 billion tonnes of marble and 1.4 million tonnes of rare earth minerals.
According to Scott Montgomery, a geologist who has studied the extent of Afghanistan’s resources, the country requires a minimum of seven to 10 years to develop large-scale mining to become a major source of revenue.
Poor security, weak legislation and corruption have prevented the development of the mining sector.
