Paktya line director provides development through Ministry coordination

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Afghan engineer Abdullah Durrani, a Paktya line director, is taking steps to align his budget with national priority programs, which will secure funding for roads, bridges and construction in Paktya Province, Afghanistan.

Durrani, the Paktya Province director of public works, met with members of the Paktya Provincial Reconstruction Team, Jan. 24, to discuss progress made with projects funded through the Ministry of Public Works in Kabul.

Durrani’s projects were submitted, approved and funded by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Previously, Afghan projects received direct funding assistance from government organizations such as PRTs and the U.S. Agency of International Development, as well as donor organizations. As 2014 approaches, the government is transitioning from direct assistance to on-budget funding, aligning with national priorities.

“The provincial governor requested the project from the Ministry of Public Works, it was approved and my department designed it,” Durrani said. “The ministry requested I gather bids from contractors to start the process.”

The process began about 10 days before the meeting and funds are expected to be received in a month, Durrani added.

The Paktya Provincial Governor, with the help of the PRT, is building a comprehensive provincial strategy to meet the needs of the community, and relies on line directors and other key stakeholders for implementation.

Paktya PRT engineers said this is the first time they have seen the public works director successfully receive national funding.

“The transition from relying on the PRT as the primary source of funding, to GIRoA taking the lead, demonstrates governance is improving in the province,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Tyler Johnson, a Paktya PRT engineer from San Antonio.

The line director has already experienced benefits from readjusting his budget to reflect national priorities.

“Previously, the director only had a budget to support project maintenance,” Johnson added. “Now, by properly requesting projects, Engineer Durrani reports he has a budget for both new-project development and maintenance.”

The provincial strategy is developed by the provincial government to ensure connection to the national planning and budgeting processes in order to provide much needed resources and services to the people of Paktya.