Building New Perspectives

Aziz Azimi, CEO

Tapping Afghanistan’s Mineral Reserves

How Does Technologists, Inc. Contribute to Afghanistan's Infrastructure?

  • Providing improved import paths for bringing large machinery necessary for mining into the country
  • Building roads needed to access the mineral rich regions, some in the high central mountain area
  • Installing electrical power to run the mining, milling, smelting, and shipping operations
  • Developing water and sewer systems to support mining operations and workers
  • Providing civil construction of mine operations buildings
  • Delivering logistical capacity for exporting partially processed or fully processed product

Summer, 2010—The state of Afghanistan’s mineral resource environment has received substantial coverage by the news media as of late. That Afghanistan is mineral rich comes as no surprise to me. I can remember as a schoolboy in Afghanistan my physics teacher going into Ḥajji Gak near our school and carrying back a large lump of amazingly pure iron ore as a lesson for our class. Many of the remote villages in Afghanistan have known how to mine and process critical minerals locally for generations.

However, the potential worth of these minerals as recently reported is truly eye-popping, valued at more than US$1 trillion. These new estimates were based on remote sensing and fieldwork assessments made in 2005 and include assessments of vast copper, gold, iron and cobalt deposits, as well as an enormous reserve of lithium—an element vital for telecommunications as well as for batteries for hybrid vehicles. Timely extraction of these resources could bring Afghanistan an infusion of badly needed foreign currency and could play a positive role in the development of infrastructure needed to move the large volumes of materials.

The identification of these massive mineral reserves comes at a critical time for both Afghanistan and the world. Resource depletion in other parts of the world, coupled with the “conflict mineral” syndrome—mineral resources locked in war-torn nations—has resulted in increased scarcity of certain mineral resources. The supply of common elements, such as iron and copper for instance, has always seemed close to infinite, but consumption, especially in places like China and India, is growing at such a fast pace that economists have begun to forecast resource scarcity. Lester Brown, in his 2008 book Plan B 2.0, suggested that iron ore reserves could run out within 64 years based on an extremely conservative 2% growth per year. Copper and other resources are not far behind.

What are Afghanistan's Mineral Reserves?
Aluminum Aluminum Aragonite Aragonite
Barite Barite Celestite Celestite
Chromite Chromite Copper Copper
Dolomite Dolomite Fluorite Fluorite
Glass Sand Glass Sand Gold Gold
Graphite Graphite Halite Halite
Iron Iron Kaolin Kaolin
Lazuite (Lapis) Lazuite (Lapis) Lead and Zinc Lead and Zinc
Limestone Limestone Lithium Lithium
Marble Marble Mercury Mercury
Potash Potash Rare Earth Elements Rare Earth Elements
Sand and Gravel Sand and Gravel Sandstone Sandstone
Sulphur Sulphur Talc, asbestos, magnesite Sandstone
Tin Tin Tungsten Tungsten
Coal Coal Natural Gas Natural Gas
All photos courtesy commons.wikimedia.org licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution

Many serious obstacles must be overcome before Afghanistan can begin to realize the benefits of its mineral resource reserves. Among the most important are security, logistsics and infrastructure obstacles. Then there is the human capacity element, which must be built in order to undertake large mining operations in Afghanistan. The country will need to cultivate a new generation of mining engineers and geologists in order to understand the industry and issue and administer the tenders. The labor force required for large-scale mining will be enormous.

While these barriers are significant, they are not insurmountable and indeed represent opportunity. Ti has faced similar realities in developing its operations in Afghanistan over the past decade. Out of necessity we have developed our own logistical supply lines, built roads, and built temporary and permanent power stations. When we were unable to find local sources for aggregate for the roads we were building, we acquired and operated our own quarries. Unable to find local sources for concrete and asphalt, we developed our own plants. Facing a shortage of trained labor, we developed an award winning training program within the company.

There is no question that with a potential value of US$1 trillion, these mineral resources will be developed. What is not known at this time is this: will the development be conducted in a way that is in the best interest of Afghanistan? Will the resources be extracted in an environmentally responsible way? Will the road networks developed for mining operations provide a network for other economic activities? Will the mines and processing facilities be manned with local labor or foreign nationals?

Ti is examining ways to serve as a positive force in the development Afghanistan’s mineral resources. We already have the ability to supply all mining infrastructure design and construction for large-scale mining operations. As in all Ti operations, our mining operations and support activities are, and will be, almost entirely staffed by Afghans.

Without a doubt, Afghanistan’s mineral resources will be developed. Ti will be on the ground encouraging a responsible, Afghan-centric approach.

For Further Reading:

Website of the Afghanistan Geological Survey

USGS Release: Significant Potential for Undiscovered Resources in Afghanistan