Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Local Government Authority (LGA) Afshan Latheef has revealed the first batch of trainees comprising of representatives from local councils and women's development committees (WDCs) will leave for India in November to take part in a training programme.
Speaking on a programme aired on PSM News, Afshan said LGA faces budget constraints, similar to other institutions, which causes difficulties in recruiting technical staff. She said LGA has been seeking assistance from various foreign parties to the institution. As such, she revealed several foreign donors, associations and embassies have been providing a lot of assistance for LGA.
During the official visit of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to India in August, a Memorandum of Understanding (WoU) was signed on Capacity Building and Training of Members of Local Councils, WDC and LGA. The purpose of the MoU signed with the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj of India is to improve technical competence and develop skills in relevant areas of local governance.
Speaking about the training of local councils and WDC members, Afshan said preparations are underway to send the first batch to India for training, adding the aim is to send a batch of 20-25 individuals every month. She said the programme will focus on tackling financial issues, land use plans, council initiatives and planning.
The two-week and three-week training programmes are open for all the local councils and WDCs to participate. A team from India is also scheduled to arrive in the Maldives in October to discuss the training programmes.