IOM Projects Build Capacity of Local Construction Firms 07.05.2006 Hundreds of local Afghan construction firms are benefiting from an IOM programme that has completed 1,100 construction projects in the war-shattered country at a cost of some US$85 million since 2002. Completed projects designed to stabilize communities include hospitals, irrigation canals, public buildings, roads, bridges and micro hydro power stations in every one of the country's 34 provinces, as well as more esoteric schemes such as the installation of solar energy panels on a building housing a community radio station run by women for women. The construction programme, funded by USAID and the UK's DFID, and supervised by IOM engineers, has not only started to rebuild Afghanistan's shattered infrastructure but has also breathed new life into the country's moribund construction industry, with 500 local construction firms now registered with IOM in Kabul alone. "It's been nearly two decades since Afghanistan has had good engineers graduate from its institutions. Technology has drastically changed since then and IOM's international engineers have introduced me to new instruments and methods of construction," says Tani Gulzar, who returned from Saudi Arabia in 2002 and set up his construction company, JGCC, in 2004. Gulzar, who started JGCC with five permanent employees, won an IOM tender to build a school in Parwan province and hired 30 local labourers, many of whom are now part of his 50 permanent staff. Today JGCC is working on an IOM road construction project in Khost province and is bidding for another contract to refurbish a hospital in Kabul. "Today I have the qualified staff and expertise to be running four construction projects at once, and they're all going smoothly," he says. "We have also become much more aware of issues like security and safety equipment. We don't let anyone on the site unless they are part of the construction project," he adds. "It makes sense to work with local contractors as large, foreign contractors not only cost more, but they don't have the local knowledge or equally reliable supply networks," says IOM's Eliot Hodges, who manages construction projects in Kunduz province. Citing the case of a USAID-funded girls' dormitory in Kunduz, he admits that local firms can be slow, but says that working with them can achieve great results. IOM has been using local construction companies since 2002 and by 2005 nearly 100 per cent of its projects were contracted directly to local companies, building industry capacity and creating jobs in often desperately poor communities. "Communities are more receptive towards our projects when local construction companies are being used because they create jobs and provide training," says IOM engineer Bogdan Danila, who trains local engineers to use new building techniques and new equipment. "We've also taught them how to safely install wiring and how to improve the quality of their concrete, which creates longer-lasting buildings that have a better chance of withstanding earthquakes," he adds. "It's important to get the cooperation and buy-in of the community. If there is a difference between what has been prescribed and what the doctor or headmaster needs, IOM always communicates it to us so we can ensure that the end user is happy with the result," explains Dean Homleid of USAID, which has awarded 40% of their school and clinic construction projects in Afghanistan to IOM. In addition to promoting on-site training by international IOM engineers, USAID has also funded a training centre in Jalalabad providing courses in painting, carpentry, concrete making, plumbing and electrical work for Afghans involved in the IOM construction projects that it funds. "We are planning to write into every contract that a certain percentage of the workforce be sent to this training," says Homleid. IOM's Afghan construction programme has also brought women into the construction workforce for the first time, with some projects requiring local contractors to employ women and to provide a separate work area. In Badakshan province, more than 70,000 women have worked on IOM projects in areas including gabion weaving, sand screening, stone crushing and paint removal from walls. For further information, please contact Rahilla Zafar at IOM Afghanistan. Email: rzafar@iomkabul.net. Tel.+93.70066036. << | >> |
Search for Jobs in:
Afghanistan Kabul Mumbai Dehli Karachi Islamabad Abu dhabi Dehli Singapur London New York Los Angeles Canada
Afghanistan Kabul Mumbai Dehli Karachi Islamabad Abu dhabi Dehli Singapur London New York Los Angeles Canada
Afghanistan Says It Will Sign Cluster Bomb Treaty
French hostage in Kabul released
Rice arrives in India in wake of attacks
2 U.S. Soldiers in Afghan Abuse Probe
2 G.I.?s Investigated
Strategy Shift Poses Stiff Challenge for Obama
U.S. deaths in Afghanistan drop sharply
A brave woman in Afghanistan
Photos
