DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AND SUPPORT

The Ministry of Planning and Finance"s (MPF) Foreign Economic Relations Department (FERD) will implement the project. USAID will fund short-term (3-month) and a few medium-term (6-month) specialized, non-academic U.S. courses and observation tours for 68 GOB personnel. Training in national/sectoral economic planning, statistical analysis, and development administration (including banking, finance, and taxation) will yield personnel capable of producing the socioeconomic data crucial to plan, implement, and assess development projects. Trainees from the MPF and various ministerial planning departments will participate in short courses available at U.S. government and private institutions. The project design, analysis, and management capabilities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (especially the Department of Planning and Statistics) will be strengthened. Sectoral emphasis will also include fisheries, livestock, agricultural credit, and cooperatives management. Ministry of Health officials will be trained at U.S. institutions (e.g., National Institutes of Health, Center for Disease Control) to meet acute needs in health planning, program management, and project evaluation, thus complementing work in the Primary Health Care Project (4820002). Although Burma is self-sufficient in energy, skills needed to explore, refine, and manage conventional sources and develop alternative ones will be upgraded. Other possible sectors for training include education, environment, and development information. Candidates will be junior, mid-career, or senior officials selected by the GOB who, upon return, will serve 5-10 years at an equal or higher post. Prior to overseas training, many trainees will take in-country training courses conducted by the GOB. Returned trainees will institutionalize a multiplier effect, passing on their acquired expertise through these same courses. Principal beneficiaries will be the GOB personnel receiving training and their respective ministeries.