The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) said on Wednesday in reaction to a recent report by the World Bank that challenges still remain in the way of business affairs in the country.

The ACCI officials said the Afghan government has made several promises to remove businessmen’s problems but many of the obstacles have not been removed so far. 

According to the ACCI, a lack of safety for businessmen, corruption, transit issues, problems with neighboring countries and an increase in taxes are the main challenges for the sector.

“It is true that a number of things have been done but still we face many problems in trade affairs including customs problems, corruption and license issues,” the ACCI deputy chief Khanjan Alokozay said.

Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MoCI) said the ministry has been working on an export development strategy and they are reviewing the investment law in order to facilitate further investment in the country.

“Serious work is ongoing with the national policy of exports and soon the trade and transit agreement between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan will be signed,” the MoCI spokesman Musafir Qoqandi said.

This comes after the World Bank said in a report that access for businessmen to services has improved in recent months in Afghanistan.