Ministry of Information and Culture, Chamber of Craftsmen and Shopkeepers Hold Consultative Meeting on Signage Reform

The Ministry of Information and Culture and the General Directorate of the Chamber of Craftsmen and Shopkeepers held a joint consultative meeting to assess challenges and discuss solutions related to the reform of signs and advertising boards. The meeting was held at the headquarters of the General Directorate of the Chamber of Craftsmen and Shopkeepers.
The meeting was attended by Mawlawi Muhajir Farahi, Deputy Minister for Publications; Al-Haj Shirin Agha Sakhi, Director General of the Chamber of Craftsmen and Shopkeepers; a number of heads of various trade associations; members of the Signage and Advertisement Reform Commission; and officials from relevant unions in Kabul.
At the outset, the Director General of the Chamber of Craftsmen and Shopkeepers called on the heads of trade associations to avoid using foreign terms and words when designing and installing signs and advertising boards and to give greater consideration to the use of the country’s national languages.
Mawlawi Muhajir Farahi, Deputy Minister for Publications, subsequently briefed participants on the activities of the Signage and Advertisement Reform Commission. He said the commission operates in Kabul and the provinces under an order issued by the leadership.
According to him, the commission includes representatives from various institutions, including the Afghanistan Academy of Sciences, Kabul University, the municipality, the Ministry of Interior Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and other relevant institutions. Its purpose is to assess and reform signs and advertising boards across the country.
Sayed Mahmoud Wakman, a member of the Signage and Advertisement Reform Commission, spoke about the historical significance of the country’s national languages and Afghanistan’s historical background. He called for greater public awareness of the country’s languages, culture, and historical heritage.
Mohammad Rasul Wahidi, head of the Kabul Sign and Board Makers’ Union, also outlined challenges in the sector and put forward proposals to improve the working process and address existing problems.
Meanwhile, Agha jan Salehzada, head of the Kabul Chamber of Craftsmen and Shopkeepers, welcomed the holding of such consultative meetings. He said continued engagement of this kind could contribute to identifying and resolving potential problems and challenges.
During the meeting, Jamshed Haidari, secretary of the Signage and Advertisement Reform Commission, said the commission had identified around 200 new words and developed alternatives for approximately 600 words over the past year.
Hafiz Nabiullah Raufi, head of the Print Media Monitoring Department under the General Directorate of Mass Media Monitoring, also briefed participants on the general procedure and framework for reforming signs and advertising boards. He said the framework had been prepared and submitted to the leadership office for approval. He added that once the procedure is approved, it will provide for better regulation of matters related to the printing, production, and reform of signs and advertising boards and help resolve many of the existing challenges in this area.
At the conclusion of the meeting, participants, following consultations, proposals and an assessment of existing challenges, emphasized the need for continued and strengthened cooperation and coordination among the relevant institutions.
6 October 2026