Ottawa – Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr. Wahidullah Shahrani, met with Mr. Robert Greenhill, President of the Canadian International Development Agency Friday, and briefed the CIDA chief on the financial and fiscal issues facing the Afghan government.

Accompanied by Afghan Ambassador Omar Samad, Mr. Shahrani, who is also an economic advisor to H.E. President Hamid Karzai, thanked Canada for the new aid announcements to be channeled through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust fund and other funding mechanisms, and stressed on the importance of aid effectiveness to boost the Afghan economy, enhance Afghan government capacities and improve livelihoods.

It is estimated that the Afghan economy will grow by 10-12% each year for the next two years, however, there are several challenges facing the country in terms of institution building, governance and financial sustainability.

In Afghanistan, Canada has one of the best aid disbursement records among donor countries, mostly focusing on indirect budgetary allocations to national programmes such as the National Solidarity Programme.

Embassy of Afghanistan

March 9, 2007