New factory inaugurated in Kabul

Earlier this month, a new factory was officially opened in Kabul. The factory will produce prefabricated housing materials for use in the construction sector. The inauguration follows the signing of a US$11.4 million contract in January last year between the government of Afghanistan and the Turkish company building the factory.

President Ashraf Ghani, along with senior government officials and the Minister for Urban Development and Housing, Syed Sadat Mansoor Naderi attended the inauguration ceremony.

President Ghani said that the factory would help to provide cost-effective, better quality buildings. He also noted that prefab construction materials help to cut delivery times of construction projects. The president also noted that 80 per cent of workers in the factory are Afghans.

During the inauguration ceremony, Minister Naderi said the opening of the factory will trigger a revolution in the Afghan construction field, particularly in the prefabricated housing sector.

Naderi added that the factory has the capacity to produce up to one million square metres of prefabricated housing materials and structures. The materials will mainly be used for the construction of schools, hospitals, clinics, and other public welfare projects across Afghanistan.

The use of prefabricated materials means construction projects will now be quicker to complete and will cost less. For example, constructing a school with eight classrooms currently costs around US$350 per square metre and takes more than a year and a half year to complete. Using prefabricated materials the costs can be reduced to US$240 per square metre, with just 6-8 weeks of construction time.

The factory was originally set up in the 1960s and operated smoothly until 1992, when it had to close down as a result of the conflict in the country.

Photo Credit: Afghan Voice Agency
Caption: President Ghani, along with the Urban Development and Housing Minister, during the inauguration ceremony of the prefabricated housing factory in Kabul