On June 22nd, 2026, the Vice Minister of State Administration, Jacinto Rigoberto Gomes de Deus, chaired the opening ceremony of the training session on Administrative Decentralisation, held in the Maria Tapo Room in Bobonaro. The event was attended by the Director-General of the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP), Policarpo Amílcar Boavida, and the President of the Bobonaro Municipal Authority, Paulo Moniz Maia. 
This training programme is intended for officials and staff of the Bobonaro Municipal Authority. It aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge required to meet the minimum requirements for implementing local government decentralisation.
In his remarks, the Vice Minister of State Administration emphasised that the training aims to ensure the effective implementation of the decentralisation policy, improve the quality of public services for local communities, and strengthen good governance in municipalities.
Jacinto Rigoberto Gomes de Deus also emphasised that the consolidation of the decentralisation process depends on the responsible performance of municipal officials and leaders to contribute to the sustainable development of the Bobonaro region.
The Vice Minister also noted that the Bobonaro Municipal Authority must be prepared to deliver quality services to the population and ensure efficient public administration to support the municipality’s development.
During the ceremony, the Vice Minister urged the participants to work together to build a more just, equitable, and prosperous municipality.
The training is taking place within the context of the ongoing process of administrative decentralisation and the establishment of local government in Timor-Leste, led by the Ministry of State Administration in accordance with Law No. 3/2016 on Local Government and Administrative Decentralisation and the Strategy for Administrative Decentralisation and the Establishment of Representative Local Government Bodies for the period 2025–2028. As part of this process, the Government has been assessing minimum conditions in the municipalities, implementing measures to strengthen institutional capacities, and providing direct oversight of municipal authorities, with a view to creating the necessary conditions for the implementation of local government scheduled for 2027 and for the gradual transfer of powers from the central to the local level.
Municipal service directors, trainees, and other guests also attended the opening ceremony.