China supports MCIT towards Technical Capacity Building
To implement its programs successfully and effectively, MCIT considers technical capacity building as the very important element. Recently MCIT has initiated communications and dialogues with various regional countries, including the People’s Republic of China to discover new potentialities and resources for regional connectivity, E-Governance and ICT development in Afghanistan.
As per the long term objectives of capacity building, MCIT selected a team of 20 employees on merit based process from different departments and sent them to China to attend a 20 day training on “Telecom Operation and Planning”. The trainees attended sessions on fiber optics, networking and ICT equipment and returned with updated knowledge and know to Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, November 24, 2015 His Excellency, the Chinese Council visited MCIT to attend a joint orientation session with the MCIT Minister and trainees, and inform MCIT’s leadership about the continued support of his country in areas of capacity building and academic partnerships in the future. Talking to the trainees he said: “I am happy that you came with necessary technical know-how. I talked this morning with H.E the Minister and Deputy Minister on having a comprehensive and needs-based capacity building plan.”
He further elaborated on the significant role of MCIT in Afghanistan’s economic development, job creation and service delivery saying: “Fortunately, during the visit of a high level delegation from Afghanistan to China, our president and prime minster both promised to support Afghanistan to have more professionals and experts. Having considered the important role of ICT and Telecom Sector for the development of Afghanistan and job creation, we are strongly committed to build and promoted the capacities of MCIT technical Staff through conducting various programs in forms of workshops, seminars and other long-term scholarships starting from a duration of two months to 2 years, for Masters and Ph.D studies.”
The MCIT Minister, Mr. Abdul Razaq Vahidi, thanked the China delegation, highlighted some key areas of capacity building, and focused on the need to connect China and Afghanistan through fiber networks. He added: “China and Afghanistan has had long history of friendly relationships. However, we can be the only neighbors in the world that lack the basic connection infrastructures between the two countries. Thus, based on MCIT’s new Strategic Plan, I would like to emphasize on the need to connect China and Afghanistan through fiber optics at Wa-Kahn border. This will have an advantage for both neighboring countries and for the region.”
In the end, the Chines council thanked the trainees for sharing their stories and innovative learning experiences and also emphasized on the need for stronger communication and bilateral prelateship between the two countries, saying “China is willing to have a stable, peaceful and promising Afghanistan as its neighbor. For this, we do fulfill whatever we promise, and unlike other countries, we let it to Afghans decide what they really want.”
Concluding the meeting, Mr. Vahidi thanked the Chinese delegation for their new commitments and assigned the trainees to form a technical work group and submit their findings and suggestions through a detailed report to the deputy ministers that will be used to develop a more realistic capacity building plan.
