Governorates’ executive councils finish training on strategic, executive planning

AMMAN — The ministries of interior and planning and international cooperation have concluded a series of field visits to all governorates to train members of executive councils, a Planning Ministry statement said on Tuesday.

The 12 visits included expanding meetings and workshops with governorates executive councils to provide them with technical assistance, especially the manual for preparing strategic and executive plans within the decentralisation project.

Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury said that the visits came in light of the ministry’s efforts to utilise the international assistance, expertise and practices in the field of decentralisation.

Part of the “Cities” project funded by USAID with the support of the planning and interior ministries, the visits involved a team of experts in decentralisation and local governance who trained and improved the capabilities of the members of the governorates executive councils.

It included the preparation of strategic and executive plans, data collection and analysis, the stages of preparing and implementing plans of development and services projects within a timeframe, according to the statement. 

During the trainings, the two sides discussed various topics, inquiries and exchanged ideas related to drafting executive and strategic plans in light of the Decentralisation Law. 

Fakhoury said that the councils have already begun the process of data collection related to building their strategies under the provisions of the Decentralisation Law.

He also noted that the manual for the preparation of strategic and executive plans in governorates has recently been approved by the ministerial decentralisation committee.

The minister called for cooperation between governorates, executive, municipal and local councils to enhance development planning in order to see its positive impact reflected on the lives of citizens in line with His Majesty King Abdullah’s directives.