From September 22-24, 2008, Commercial Attaché, Khaleda Atta, Trade & Investment Officer Murtaza Bahrami and USGS Co-Coordinator of the Afghanistan Project, Said Mirzad attended the quadrennial MINExpo 2008 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, presenting informational CDs, fact sheets and full studies on the opportunities available in the mining sector of Afghanistan to an international audience of over 40,000 people. This year was the first time ever that Afghanistan was represented at this single largest international mining trade show in the world for the industry showcasing over 1,200
exhibitors, made possible through the support of the German aid agency GTZ, the Export Promotion Agency of Afghanistan (EPAA) and the USGS. The U.S. National Mining Association (NMA) hosts the MINExpo once every four years in efforts to bring the latest technologies in mining machinery and equipment as well as representatives from the private sector and international governments together in one location to network and learn of the opportunities that exist. The next show will take place in Las Vegas in 2012.
The event was a great opportunity for Afghanistan to showcase maps and spread the word on upcoming investment opportunities to prospective international partners including information on the upcoming Hajigak Iron Ore tender that is soon to be released by the Ministry of Mines. The Hajigak Iron deposit alone has an estimated 60 billion tones of iron that will be available to the private sector through an international tender and bidding process once the Ministry releases the necessary procedural documents through its website. For more information on this and other current mining opportunities including
Gold, Barite and Coal,
please visit:
www.mom.gov.af
