Catalog

Skills and Knowledge
ADB Review [ December 2005 ]

Alongside its massive program for rebuilding Afghanistan’s infrastructure, ADB is placing high priority on giving Afghans the skills and knowledge they will need for sustained development

By Grant Curtis, (gcurtis@adb.org)
Senior Country Programs Specialist (Afghanistan)

NEW LIVES Boys on a piece of equipment show their enthusiasm for their future

Twenty-five years of war and misrule destroyed more than Afghanistan’s infrastructure. It also damaged the social fabric and human capital of society: the networks, relationships, norms, and institutions that bind people together— and the acquired knowledge and skills they need as productive citizens.

Development agencies knew from experience that alongside the massive effort to rebuild roads and buildings, there would have to be significant “capacity building” help for Afghans to regain that lost capital. Rebuilding it will require decades of careful investment and nurturing to restore capacity, confidence, and trust within Afghan society.

In recognizing this, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) (at the Berlin International Conference on Afghanistan in 2004), pledged up to $10 million per year in advisory and project preparation technical assistance (TA) for 2005–2008. This was part of ADB’s commitment to provide Afghanistan with up to $800 million in Asian Development Fund loans and grants for the period. The high level of TA—unique among ADB’s developing member countries —is essential to strengthen human resources and build government capacity.

“Mainstreaming capacity development in Afghanistan isn’t an option—effective capacity development is essential to achieving sustainable and results-based development in one of the poorest countries in all of the Asia and Pacific region,” says Kunio Senga, Director General of ADB’s South Asia Department.

CAPACITY BUILDING A new generation of young people has the chance to learn skills and amass knowledge needed to be productive citizens

Grants for Developing Capacity

As of October 2005, ADB had approved 29 TA projects totaling more than $38.645 million, with an additional $5.482 million in donor cost-sharing.

While some of the grants have funded project preparation, most have focused on capacity building and strengthening the ability of government ministries and projects to formulate policies and plans and implement development activities across a range of sectors.

For example, a $3.4 million TA grant is helping the government implement its Public Administration Reform program that will enable civil servants to function more efficiently. The TA is strengthening the capacity of the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission to better assist government departments to deliver essential services, as well as to institute modern human resource management policies.

ADB capacity development TA grants also have funded organizational capacity assessments and provided international experts as advisors and trainers, as well as helped rehabilitate government offices and purchase computers and basic office equipment. Under the grants, officials have formulated sectoral master plans and laid the groundwork for essential policy and institutional reform.

"Effective capacity development is essential to achieving sustainable and results-based development in one of the poorest countries in all of the Asia and Pacific region"

-Kunio Senga
Director General, ADB’s South Asia Department

In addition, several TA grants are helping develop the capacity of ADB’s counterpart ministries and departments, notably the ministries of agriculture and animal husbandry, commerce, finance, energy and water, mines and industry, public works, and transport. TA funding also has been provided to complement ADB’s private sector investments in Afghanistan. ADB TA funding thus is helping ensure that investments in Afghanistan’s development will produce concrete results.

Ability to Manage Affairs

Capacity development can be broadly described as securing a country’s ability to manage its own affairs. ADB shares a growing consensus that nurturing and promoting national capacities are needed for both sustainable development and aid effectiveness.

Indeed, the 2004 review of ADB’s poverty reduction strategy recommended that capacity development be included as a new thematic priority for lending and technical assistance operations to include institutional development, organizational development, and client relations, network and partnership development.

Afghanistan’s limited government capacity —its shortage of trained, qualified, and experienced staff, as well as efficient systems and processes—is a key development challenge and a priority for ADB.

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