AFGHAN GOV'T GRANTS LICENSES TO 2300 COMPANIES IN 2005.

KABUL, Jan 2 Asia Pulse - Economists said insecurity and limited facilities hampered chances of investment in Afghanistan during 2005 as compared with the year 2004.

Official of the Afghanistan International Support Agency (AISA) Shikeb Noori said over 2300 private companies were licensed during 2005, while 1600 private companies were given licenses during 2004.

Mostly construction, welfare, industrial and agricultural companies gained license in 2005, he said, adding that 351 of the 2300 were foreign companies.

Ahmad Khalid Ulfat, official of the Development Organization and Reconstruction of Afghanistan (DORA), told Pajhwok Afghan News: "We were expecting that government would get trust of the foreign and domestic investors to enhance country economy."

President of AISA Umer Zakhelwal said the number of investment did not increase in the year 2005 due to parliamentary election, increase in violence and poor investment facilities.

Earlier, investors believed the government would address their problems in the first years after Taliban were overthrown, he remarked.

"But in 2005 the investors might have observed that the government did not meet their expectations," he said. A reputed economist Fazil Ahmad Joya branded insecurity as the major reason that discouraged traders to invest in the country. ...