UoB inks contract on CERBM with govt

The 10-month contract is intended for building sustainable capacity resource for different thematic areas

QUETTA: The Governance and Policy Project (GPP) and Planning and Development Department (P&DD) of Balochistan government signed a contract with the University of Balochistan (UoB) for establishing Centre of Excellence for Results-Based Management (CERBM).

The contract signing ceremony was held in the provincial capital on Tuesday.

UoB Vice-Chancellor Dr Javeid Iqbal, Director General (M&E) P&DD government of Balochistan Manzoor Ahmed Sarparah and Provincial Coordinator GPP Balochistan Mahfooz Ali Khan along with other team members were present on the occasion.

The 10-month contract is intended for building a sustainable capacity resource for different thematic areas like project management, monitoring & evaluation, management & leadership, and public procurement management to conduct research studies.

According to the contract, CERBM is expected to support the strengthening of monitoring mechanism of public sectors development projects, development of HRMIS for P&DD and instituting the Planning Studies Section (PSS) of P&DD through research activities and developing linkages between the researchers and planning practitioners of the public sector through hands-on activities and capacity building initiatives.

Dr Iqbal formally welcomed the participants and briefed them on different academic programmes and expertise being offered by the UoB. He said the contribution of the University of Balochistan in nation-building was unparalleled with any other higher educational institution in the province.

He assured that the beneficiary departments would ensure timely implementation on CERBM’s plans according to the agreement.

Provincial Coordinator Mahfooz Ali Khan said that mechanism for designing policies, studies, and public expenditure was the need of the hour and shall play a vital role in improving the governance of the province.

He also highlighted the mandate of GPP for technical assistance to the government for improving accountability and service delivery.

Director-General Planning and Development Department Manzoor Ahmed Sarparah said that the CERBM improve the planning and monitoring of the provincial government and enable the planners to take evidence/research-based decisions.

“The linkage between the academia and administration will provide an opportunity to researchers for undertaking real-time research activities based on the problems faced by the administration. In addition to that, the counterparts will also utilize the findings of the strategic planning,” he said.

This initiative would also provide an opportunity for new graduates to advance their practical knowledge in their respective fields and gain experience.