USAID's Kabul City Initiative (KCI) Capacity Building for Kabul Municipality Employees in Project Management

This initiative aims to build the capacity of KM employees to manage large-scale infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. The activities will culminate with two groups of 30 KM employees traveling to Turkey to attend the Project Management Institute (PMI). The PMI is a worldwide organization that provides certification in project management skills for individual professionals and organizations. With copyright permission from the PMI, KCI translated the Fundamentals of Project Management into Dari. English and Dari copies of the book have been distributed to Kabul Municipality managers and engineers to serve as a desk manual for project management. The PMI chapter in Turkey has been solicited to provide training for 60 Kabul Municipality employees and to sponsor Kabul Municipality in the establishment of the first PMI chapter in Afghanistan. To prepare KM participants for the PMI training, KCI provided the 60 participants with a two-week preparatory English and computer skills training course. The preparatory training took place in May and was designed to address staff training needs. The course aimed to enhance the participants' computer skills and English language abilities, enabling them to follow and document the PMI lectures. Mr. Abdul Ghafar Rasool, Project Manager from the department of Street Maintenance, noted that the preparatory course has helped him to improve his computer skills and English language abilities. The first group of participants will travel to Turkey in June for the training. Upon completion of the training, Kabul Municipality will be able to open the first chapter of the Project Management Institute in Afghanistan, a first for the country. This achievement will not only enhance the capacity of KM employees but also position Kabul Municipality as a municipal government leader in project management. The overall capacity of the local government to manage large-scale infrastructure projects in Afghanistan will also be improved. The successful implementation of this initiative will have a positive impact on the development of Afghanistan's infrastructure. By enhancing the project management skills of KM employees, the initiative will contribute to the effective management of large-scale projects, ultimately benefiting the local community. The establishment of the first PMI chapter in Afghanistan will also provide a platform for knowledge sharing and capacity building in project management, promoting sustainable development in the country.