Economy Ministry’s data on NGOs and Institutions in Afghanistan raises doubts

After the resurgence of the Taliban administration, a significant number of domestic and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that provided essential social services in various sectors either ceased operations or suspended their activities in Afghanistan due to the ban on women working. This vacuum has created challenges in various sectors, and the exact number of active […]

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After the resurgence of the Taliban administration, a significant number of domestic and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that provided essential social services in various sectors either ceased operations or suspended their activities in Afghanistan due to the ban on women working. This vacuum has created challenges in various sectors, and the exact number of active organizations in Afghanistan remains uncertain.

Officials from the Ministry of Economy of the de facto administration have also presented contradictory statistics over the course of several days: a spokesperson for the ministry says that 720 domestic and foreign organizations are active, while an official from the same ministry states that more than 6,500 domestic and foreign organizations are active in Afghanistan.

Non-governmental domestic and foreign institutions are referred to as groups formed by members of society, without any governmental or occupational titles, for social, civil, ethical, environmental, and similar purposes. The functioning and effectiveness of these institutions have been crucially highlighted by the United Nations for achieving sustainable development goals, and February 27 has also been designated as an annual global event to officially recognize the activities of these centers.

Afghanistan, as a country that has been embroiled in decades of bloody wars, has experienced a severe setback in the provision of social services, including education, health, mental health, and environmental services, due to the performance of these institutions. However, with nearly three years having passed since the return of Taliban in power, the exact number of institutions in Afghanistan is still unclear.

Abdul Latif Nazari, an official from the Ministry of Economy, stated in an interview with the national radio and television, last week that 6,522 domestic and foreign non-governmental organizations are active in Afghanistan, with 515 of them being foreign institutions, and all these institutions are engaged in four sectors (social services, health, education, and agriculture).

Abdul Rahman Habib, the spokesperson for the ministry, appeared a few days after Mr. Nazari’s interview on national radio and television and announced that there are 720 domestic and foreign non-governmental organizations in Afghanistan, of which 172 are foreign and the rest are domestic, all operating in seven different sectors.

Experts believe that the statistics provided by these two officials from the Ministry of Economy of the Taliban are not reliable, as there is a discrepancy of several thousand (5,802) among the figures, and inaccurate figures have also been presented repeatedly in the past.

Professor Sayed Masoud, expert on economic affairs, stated in an interview with Khaama Press: Effective management stems from precise handling of figures and reliable statistics. If the numbers provided by two officials from the same ministry differ by even a four-digit number, it indicates ineffective management and undermines confidence in the work process of that ministry.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Coordination of Non-Governmental Organizations of the Ministry of Economy of the Taliban administration has released different statistics, indicating that 5,999 domestic institutions and 520 foreign institutions have received permits from the Ministry of Economy to operate in Afghanistan.

According to experts, accurate statistics are a key component of policy-making and leadership in social activities. Without sufficient, accurate, and timely statistics, policymaking, planning, goal-setting, strategies, activities, and ultimately the evaluation of results will not be possible.

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