H.E Minister of Communications and Information Technology Visits Washington, D.C

 Washington, D.C. (June 12, 2012) – His Excellency Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, met with a number of organizations during his visit to Washington D.C. on June 11 and 12 where he discussed the meteoric progress of the past ten years and future development of Afghanistan’s telecommunications industry.

H.E met with high ranking officials from the Departments of State, Commerce, Defense and the White House to discuss Afghanistan’s cybersecurity strategy, which H.E. Minister Sangin believes is a growing area of importance considering the country’s rapid technological growth.

 Continuing this theme, the Minister spoke at a panel event hosted by the Embassy of Afghanistan and coordinated by NetHope about the challenges that have been overcome in the last ten years thanks to foreign investment, business-friendly policy, and a drive for modernization. On behalf of Ambassador Hakimi, an Embassy representative welcomed the participants while highlighting the significance of Afghanistan’s Telecom sector as one of the most encouraging success stories in the country. H.E. Minister Sangin was joined on the panel by NetHope’s CEO Bill Brindley and Kay McGowan of the U.S. Department of State and they expressed hope that the Embassy would continue to host such events showcasing investment opportunities in Afghanistan to U.S. businesses.

While visiting the U.S. Capitol, H.E. Minister Sangin attended and spoke at a “Frontiers in Development” conference, at which a number of prominent world leaders, CEOs, and development experts met to discuss the needs and challenges that face the Developing World in the 21st Century. The Minister also met with a number of major U.S. companies and government representatives to discuss the potential investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s growing infrastructure and the importance of the country’s up-and-coming fiber optics network.

H.E. Minister Sangin also spoke at a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) event titled “Technology in Transition: How Mobile Phones and the Internet are Transforming Afghanistan.” Here H.E discussed the importance of telecommunications and broadband Internet in transforming Afghanistan into a modern, stable democracy, and even hopes to expand broadband internet access to the entire population within the next five years.

Rounding out the Minister’s busy schedule, a number of representatives from Boeing, Cisco, and other companies also met with H.E. Minister Sangin at a Satellite Industry Association roundtable where he spotlighted future investment opportunities in Afghanistan’s growing satellite sector.