Afghanistan—Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Populations, Regional Command East (RAMP UP East)

Client: U.S. Agency for International Development

Duration: 2010-2014

Region: Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Country: Afghanistan

Solutions: Governance Fragile States

The Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Populations, Regional Command East (RAMP UP East) supported 14 provincial capitals. Its primary customers were municipal officials such as mayors, revenue officers, and engineers as well as the citizens who benefit from municipal services.

RAMP UP East helped municipalities implement projects through which local officials improved their capacity to deliver services and build satisfaction, trust, and support among citizens. All programming put municipal officials in front and demonstrably in charge as they directed participatory planning processes and oversee implementation.

Sample Activities

  • Build capacity of municipal officials.
  • Improve municipal service delivery.
  • Boost municipal capacity to enable, support, and sustain economic growth.

Select Results

  • Implemented 55 small-scale municipal infrastructure and 21 service delivery projects that addressed citizen priorities and served as learning opportunities for municipal officials in project planning.
  • Created 169,315 man-days of local labor by implementing municipal development projects.
  • Supported 13 municipalities in developing functional accounting systems.
  • Launched performance-oriented budgeting in 10 RAMP UP East municipalities.
  • Developed economic profiles and Local Economic Development Plans for 13 municipalities.
  • Initiated three public-private partnerships to enhance municipal revenue.
  • Offered anticorruption training to 300 participants—212 municipal officials and 88 civil society members.
  • Provided training on public participation in local governance to 3,765 citizens.
  • Facilitated a professional fellowship program for 52 municipal offices or local nongovernmental organizations.
  • Supported 500 entrepreneurs through business training and local craft exhibitions.
  • Engaged 7,624 young people through a youth participation small grants program.
  • Trained 260 officials from 13 municipalities in finance, public administration, revenue, business registration, public relations and outreach, construction management, public works maintenance, and anticorruption.
  • Introduced monthly citizen forums, municipal newsletters, infrastructure project opening and closing ceremonies, media interviews, and public awareness activities.
  • Trained 21 engineers in quality assurance and employed 10 engineers as interns with RAMP UP East central office.
  • Developed property register for a property tax, a linchpin of municipal financing.
x

RELATED CONTENT:

Ukraine—Establishment and Management of the Secretariat to the Audit Board

DAI provides technical assistance to the European Union to ensure the effective, efficient, and transparent management of funds for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Read More