OVERVIEW

The Mining Investment and Development for Afghanistan Sustainability (MIDAS) project assisted the Government of Afghanistan to responsibly develop the nation’s mining industry by improving its ability to plan, design and implement mining concessions through transparent tender processes. MIDAS supported initiatives to make Afghanistan’s mining industry a key source of government revenues and expand the skilled labor force to include women. MIDAS guided the Afghan government in implementation of legal and regulatory reforms for the industry and provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP).

ACTIVITIES

• Assisted the Afghan government to develop transparent bidding processes and contracting procedures to adopt and implement mining laws and regulations according to international best practices
• Helped the MoMP develop expertise in data analysis and mineral deposit management, including the execution of mineral tenders and contract management in keeping with international standards of transparency and revenue generation

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• MoMP strengthened the legal framework by completing six regulations and drafted multiple procedures and policy papers
• MoMP gained expertise with on-the-job training in mineral exploration, drilling, mapping and investment promotion
• Developed an open process for licensing mineral areas and an industry-standard contract guide, resulting in greatly reduced processing time
• Deployed seven mineral exploration expedition teams of up to 35 geologists and engineers from the Afghanistan Geological Survey (AGS) to search for mineral deposits
• Led study tours to the United States and Kyrgyzstan for government officials, business and civil society, providing comparative perspectives on mining legal and financial systems
• Trained more than 450 members of the public and private sector as well as civil society representatives on mine development, land rights, environmental protection, and business start-up procedures in the mining sector
• Facilitated two key trainings on major mineral contracts drafting and negotiation in New York and Istanbul
• Drafted policy papers, including confidentiality agreement about sharing of information
• Approved two tender packages (Herat Cement and Samangan Cement) by the Afghan Government; the two tenders were seen as a “quick-win” in support of economic growth for the Afghan Government.
• Provided technical trainings for Afghan geologists in standardizing maps and seismic methods