Government of Afghanistan says 50,000 jobs will be created when Bamiyan mine opens

THE GOVERNMENT has said that the Hajigag iron mines in the central province of Bamiyan will bring in $3 billion every year to Afghanistan.

Work to extract the iron from the mine will begin next year, the minister of mines, Ibrahim Adil, said on Monday.

About 50,000 jobs will be created when the mine opens, he said.

"After work starts, Bamiyan will become one of the richest centres in Afghanistan," the minister said.

The government has also discovered a large coal mine in the Yakawlang district of the province.

The Hajigag mine contains an estimated 60 billion tonnes of iron, allowing Afghanistan to produce Iron goods for the next 1,000 years, according to the minister.