County administrators trained in Malakal

11 Apr 2012

County administrators trained in Malakal

10 April 2012 - A four-week training course for state administrative officers drawn from the 13 counties of Upper Nile State kicked off today in the capital Malakal.

The training is organized by the State Ministry of Local Government and Law Enforcement in conjunction with the non-profit organization WINROCK International.

WINROCK Governance Programme Director Shingirayi Mushanba said that training topics for the 185 administrative officers would include the Local Government Act and management.

Urging participants to take the training seriously, Acting Minister of Local Government and Law Enforcement Awuer Agany Awuer said residents in their respective counties and payams (district) would be beneficiaries of knowledge they acquired.

"Your role in the counties or payams is very great; you should work very hard to initiate development programmes in your working locations," he said.

The director general of the local government ministry, William Gwang Deng, described the training as an important capacity building initiative towards nation building.

"This training is very important for you who are attending today," he said. "The country is in great need of skilled officers who will help in building the new nation."

The director general called upon participants to be attentive during the training and ask questions. "You should not be shy to ask questions, because anybody who asks a question gets more information."

This is the second training of its kind to be conducted by WINROCK and is part of its BRIDGE Programme, which strengthens the ability of state and local governments to deliver services. The programme is funded by the United States Agency for International Development.