Conference held on sustainable local administration practices

AMMAN — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Ministry of Local Administration and 33 municipalities attended a conference on Monday titled “Fostering Sustainable and Comprehensive Local Administration”.

The event highlighted how USAID assistance increased the effectiveness of municipal governance and supported local administration in Jordan, according to a USAID statement.

Participants discussed the key impacts and lessons learned from the on-the-ground initiatives related to municipal governance, which  USAID  supported.   

The event was attended by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Local Administration, Hussain Mheidat, Director General of Cities and Development Bank, Osama Al Azzam, USAID Deputy Mission Director Margaret Spears, and municipal partners. 

“USAID’s support had a significant impact on advancing the entire sector of local administration. The complementarity of roles and collaboration between all relevant stakeholders improved the quality of municipal services and promoted economic development at the national and local level,” Mheidat said in his opening remarks.

Spears said: “USAID is proud of our partnership with the Ministry of Local Administration and the work we accomplished together. In addition to an ambitious street naming and building numbering initiative, we are particularly proud that we created more than 500 jobs in different fields like carpentry in Zarqa and vehicle maintenance in Maan. Together we leveraged a total of $2.6 million in investments, such as the new date cooling and storage facility in New Maadi.” 

The deputy mission director also announced the launch of two municipal radio stations in Irbid and Madaba and an interactive media studio in Mafraq, which will enhance community outreach, promote transparency and improve municipal service delivery.

Representatives of partner ministries and government entities presented lessons learned and recommendations from USAID activities. Discussions highlighted the importance of the Ministry of Local Administration Strategic Plan 2021-2024, financial management, budget formulation, local development planning, community engagement, and gender equity and social inclusion.

This event showcased the strong partnership between the Ministry of Local Administration, USAID, partner government institutions, and municipalities that improved economic development and better met the needs of local communities through improved governance.