Kabul, Afghanistan - July 12, 2009 — The Strategic Provincial Roads-South and East Afghanistan (SPR-SEA) Program approach relies heavily on local Afghan subcontractors and sub-grantees. While most companies have strong basic hands-on capabilities in engineering and construction, they often lack substantive capabilities in project planning, including quality control mechanisms and scheduling to meet timelines. Through the Mentor Protégé Program, International Relief and Development (IRD) is working to build upon existing subcontractor skills and ensure better compliance with industry best practices within the Afghanistan context. One of IRD’s primary objectives as a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) implementing partner is to leave Afghanistan with a strong construction contracting community.

With funding from USAID, IRD, in partnership with the Afghanistan Builders Association (ABA), completed a Construction Management capacity building program for all SPR-SEA subcontractors. The six courses were conducted over a period of six weeks in English and the local language. Areas of training included quality control and quality assurance, safety and safety management, planning and scheduling, budgeting and cost estimation, and contract management.

Over 100 trainings were held across the six areas of focus. Eighty-six certifications were awarded to 59 subcontractor trainees who met the requirements of regular attendance and scored 50 percent or higher on the post-training examination. The overall average pre- and post-test scores were 48 percent and 74 percent, respectively, for an average increase of 35 percent. While this demonstrates significant progress in professionalizing the Afghan national construction industry, IRD will continue to work with its subcontracted partners and the Ministry of Public Works to ensure practical improvements in effectively designing and constructing roads in Afghanistan.

To commemorate the conclusion of the training, IRD and ABA hosted the Mentor Protégé Award Ceremony on July 12, 2009. The event was attended by the directors and staff of IRD’s 22 Afghan construction partners, the Deputy Minister of Public Works, and representatives from USAID/Afghanistan.