Afghans need more white-collar jobs in the UAE

Afghanistan's stability will improved by having closer economic ties with countries like the UAE, argues Ajmal Shams.

Strong UAE-Afghanistan relations will benefit the two countries. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court

Ashraf Ghani, the new president of Afghanistan, would like to open the next chapter in what is already a cordial relationship with the UAE. Mr Ghani paid an official visit to the UAE earlier this year as part of his efforts to stabilise Afghanistan by seeking the support of countries in the immediate neighbourhood and in the region.

Mr Ghani is an advocate of strong relations with the Arab world. He sees the relationship as one contributing to stability in the region and his home country. His strategy is to use business and trade as a means to stability. During his visit to the UAE, Mr Ghani signed the Enduring Strategic Partnership Agreement. The pact will further enhance the long-term cooperation and partnership with the UAE in the areas of security, the fight against terrorism, investment, development, cultural exchange, governance and the rule of law.

Afghanistan and the UAE first established diplomatic ties in 1973. The UAE generously supported the Afghans during their struggle against the Soviet occupation by providing humanitarian aid and many other kinds of assistance. During this period, thousands of Afghans moved to the UAE to work. The country currently hosts an estimated 200,000 Afghans including a small number of affluent residents whose wealth is estimated to exceed $4 billion. The vast majority of Afghans in the UAE make positive contributions to their home economy via regular remittances.

Sheikh Zayed, the late President of the UAE, had a special affection for the people of Afghanistan and that legacy has been continued by Sheikh Khalifa. The UAE is one of the few Muslim countries with troops in Afghanistan. Because of the common Muslim heritage, these troops are welcomed in Afghanistan and their contribution towards stability is recognised by both the government and the general public.

After the collapse of the Taliban, the UAE was one of the first countries that offered financial support. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has provided about $170 million for residential housing development in Kabul for low-paid government officials.

In general, the Afghan government has supported inward investment from the UAE. The telecom company Etisalat is a good example of this. The company was given a licence by the Afghan government with the minimum of bureaucratic hassle. It enjoys a good reputation in the country for being price-competitive and for good network coverage. It is also seen as having helped to bring down the price of internet services.

In December 2013, a major milestone was achieved when an Emirates flight touched down at Kabul International Airport (renamed Hamid Karzai International Airport). Yet, it had taken almost 10 years for Afghanistan civil aviation to pave the way for this major accomplishment.

The pace of growth in commerce can also best be described as slow. Yet the potential is much higher and has suffered because of political and economic instability, challenges to security and the absence of an adequate institutional and legal framework conducive to foreign investment. All of these factors hindered the faster growth of bilateral ties.

And what of most of the Afghans who make their home in the UAE? In spite of a hospitable employment environment, Afghans are mostly engaged in unskilled occupations within the emirates. It is very rare to find an Afghan in a skilled profession.

It is true that Afghanistan might not have been able to compete with the knowledge, skills and experience offered by expatriates from other countries in the region, such as India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

However, after the collapse of the Taliban in late 2001 and the establishment of a new administration in Kabul, significant investment has been made in building human capital.

During the past decade, large numbers of Afghans were able to benefit from scholarships offered by countries in the West as well as Japan, India and Pakistan, to mention a few. The country now has a modest cadre of young Afghan professionals educated in fields that are in high demand in the UAE. These include engineering, business management and computer science.

It is time for the new Afghan government to tap into the UAE economy by facilitating the entry of educated Afghans into the labour market. Initially, these entrants would contribute to the Afghan economy through the remittances they send back home. Additionally, the skills they would gain could be later utilised for national development.

Similarly, our commerce ministry must play a proactive role by facilitating and opening up markets for Afghan products, especially dry and seasonal fruits and Afghan handicrafts. Under Mr Ghani, the entire narrative of Afghanistan’s foreign policy seems to be undergoing a major shift. There has never been a better time for Afghanistan to try to take our relationship with the UAE to the next level of trust and cooperation.

Ajmal Shams is president of the Afghanistan Social Democratic Party and is based in Kabul. He previously served as policy adviser to Ashraf Ghani when he chaired the security transition commission