Press Release

On the 29 January 2021, the President's Office - Regional Administration and Local Government (PORALG), in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), organized a three-week "Directive Meetings on the improved O&OD Guidelines and Manuals" at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center in Dar es Salaam. Approximately 375 participants drawn from Regional Administrative Secretariat offices and Local Government Authorities (i.e. Geita, Iringa, Kagera, Katavi, Kigoma, Lindi, Mara, Mbeya, Mtwara, Mwanza, Njombe, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Singida, Songwe, and Tabora) attended the meetings.

The Directive Meetings were officiated by the Rector of the Local Government Training Institute (LGTI) of PORALG, Dr. Madale Mpambile. In his closing remarks, he requested the participants to put emphasis on the following issues in their daily activities:

• The continuous use of the Improved O&OD Guidelines and subsequent Implementation Manuals during their planning and budgeting process.
• The need for Local Government Authorities (LGAs) to consider further training for Ward Facilitators.
• The need to provide implementation feedback through the District Councilors Management Team (CMT) and Ward Councilors' Meeting.
• Utilization of any available opportunity to talk about the Improved O&OD Guidelines and the Implementation Manuals i.e. Regional and District Consultative Meetings.

PORALG and JICA have been implementing a technical cooperation project called the "Project on Strengthening Participatory Planning and Community Development Cycle for Good Local Governance Phase 2 (O&OD2 Project)" since 2014.

The completion of the Directive Meetings marked the completion of the dissemination of the project concept of "Improved O&OD"; these Directive Meetings are an essential part for the Improved O&OD guidelines and Manuals to be utilized sustainably for the coming decades. The concept of "Improved O&OD" is a mechanism of identifying and supporting existing community initiatives, but also realizing collaborative relationship between LGAs and the community.

Final Day of CTF (Council Task-Force) (*) Training during the 4-Day Directive Meeting in JNICC

(*) The CTF is comprised of Council Directors, District Community Development Officer, and District Planning Officer/ District Economist

• For further information, please contact:

JICA Tanzania Office, P.O. Box 9450, Dar es Salaam,
Tel: 022-211327/30 Fax: 022-2112976
Ms. AOKI Yu Aoki.Yu@jica.go.jp
Ms. MTAMBALIKE Mbonisewa Mtambalike-Mbonisewa@jica.go.jp

What is "Improved O&OD"?

For more than 10 years, JICA has been closely cooperating with PO-RALG, trying to develop a dynamic and sustainable style of local development and service delivery through an innovative local government administration with "Government-Community Collaboration". This methodology is called the "Improved O&OD".

"O&OD" is an abbreviation of "Opportunities and Obstacles to Development" and this idea was originally established by PO-RALG in 2001 to promote participatory local development planning.

Since 2009, PO-RALG and JICA have been implementing the cooperation project to improve this "O&OD" mechanism to more effectively nurture the "Self-Help Efforts" of the communities and deepen collaborative relationship between Local Government and communities. This so-called "Improved O&OD" concept is based on the great unique advantage of the Country inherited from the founder of the nation, the late Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere.

About JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)

An incorporated administrative agency in charge of administering Japan's ODA (Official Development Assistance). It is one of the world's largest bilateral aid agency supporting socio-economic development in developing countries in different regions of the world. In Tanzania, JICA has been a long time partner of Tanzania for more than 50 years in many sectors since 1962.

Villagers in Mang'ula B Village, Kilombero District, Morogoro Region, constructed 14 km community road through their self-help efforts facilitated by the improved O&OD methodology.