Paktya line director provides development through Ministry coordination

Published Jan. 29, 2012
By 1st Lt Cammie Quinn
PRT Paktya Public Affairs

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- One Paktya line director is taking steps to align his budget with national priority programs, securing funding for roads, bridges and construction in Paktya Province, Afghanistan, Jan 24.

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

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

Previously, Afghan projects have received direct funding assistance from government organizations such as PRTs and USAID, 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. They approved it and my department designed it," Durrani said. "The ministry requested I gather bids from contractors to start the process."

The process began about ten days ago, and funds are expected to be received in about a month, Durrani added.

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

PRT engineers said this is the first time they know of that the public works director successfully received 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," U.S. Air Force Capt. Tyler Johnson, PRT Paktya engineer from San Antonio, said.

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 endure they are able to successfully connect to the national planning and budgeting processes in order to provide much-needed resources and services to the people of Paktya.