Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Populations RC East (RAMP UP East) Monthly Report: December 2011

The finance team developed internal budget calendars and reviewed the budget preparation and approval process. Revenue and expenditure forecasting concentrated on business license and safayi tax forecasting and analyzing operations and maintenance expenditures for the solid waste program. Municipal accounting and revenue managers from thirteen municipalities participated in formal budget training conducted in Jalalabad and Kabul. All staff of the accounting and revenue departments participated in revenue forecast training in their respective offices, conducted by embedded public finance advisors. The training programs included interactive group work and related exercises specific to Afghan municipal revenue sources and budget process. To transition the municipal accounting function to a more standard and transparent process, RAMP UP East focused on modifying the existing single entry bookkeeping system to a double entry system that includes cash accounts and enables municipalities to reconcile cash accounts to bank statements. Municipal accounting managers worked with public finance advisors to develop an Excel-based M20 template that includes an account to record each cash disbursement. During this reporting period, accounting managers and staff continued to record daily transactions to both the manual system and the Excel template, providing a learning opportunity and a chance to verify the accuracy of manual record keeping. To prepare accurate payroll calculations in a more efficient manner, municipal accounting managers and embedded public finance advisors developed an Excel-based payroll template. As of December, all municipalities, except Jalalabad, have implemented the payroll template and have produced the monthly payroll with assistance from RAMP UP East. Excel-based templates are often used to provide a greater level of accuracy in accounting and budgeting systems. RAMP UP East found in initial capability assessments that the computer literacy of municipal staff was very weak, but the desire to learn new skills is extremely high. In response to this, RAMP UP East advisors began teaching basic computer skills, including using MS Office programs to produce letters, forms, presentations, and spreadsheets. Building core skills in computing serves as a support mechanism to increase the effectiveness of the functional accounting and budgeting training program and has been well received by the municipal offices. Infrastructure projects in the RAMP UP East program have faced work stoppages or a general slowdown in progress due to the onset of winter. In December, three infrastructure projects were completed, and for two of these, handover ceremonies were held in Charikar and Pul-i-Alam. One project is scheduled for handover in the near future. The RAMP UP East program has been working to improve municipal services delivery, including infrastructure development, and has made progress in this area. However, challenges remain, and the program continues to work with municipalities to address these challenges and improve services delivery. The RAMP UP East program has been working to improve the capacity of municipal staff in areas such as accounting, budgeting, and computer skills. The program has provided training and technical assistance to municipal staff, and has seen significant progress in this area. However, challenges remain, and the program continues to work with municipalities to address these challenges and improve capacity. The RAMP UP East program is committed to supporting the development of Afghan municipalities and improving services delivery to urban populations. Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Populations RC East (RAMP UP East) has been working to improve municipal services delivery in the Jalalabad area. In December, the RAMP UP East program completed three infrastructure projects, including a water supply system and a road rehabilitation project. The program also provided training to municipal staff on accounting and budgeting, and has seen significant progress in this area. However, challenges remain, and the program continues to work with municipalities to address these challenges and improve services delivery. In the Gardez area, the RAMP UP East program has been working to improve municipal services delivery, including infrastructure development and public services. In December, the program completed a solid waste management project and provided training to municipal staff on accounting and budgeting. The program has also been working to improve the capacity of municipal staff in areas such as computer skills and has seen significant progress in this area. However, challenges remain, and the program continues to work with municipalities to address these challenges and improve services delivery. Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Populations RC East (RAMP UP East) has been working to improve municipal services delivery in the Charikar area. In December, the RAMP UP East program completed a water supply system project and provided training to municipal staff on accounting and budgeting. The program has also been working to improve the capacity of municipal staff in areas such as computer skills and has seen significant progress in this area. However, challenges remain, and the program continues to work with municipalities to address these challenges and improve services delivery.