The Minister of State Administration (MAE), Tomás do Rosário Cabral, participated in the opening of the Forum for the Integration of Municipal Engineers for the municipalities, the Oecússi-Ambeno Special Administrative Region (RAEOA), and Ataúro. The event took place over two days, July 23rd – 24th, 2026, at the Delta Nova Hall.
This forum included a training session on “Management of the Small-Scale Project Cycle Based on the Technical Standards and Procedures of ADN, I.P.,” aimed at strengthening the capabilities of municipal technicians in planning, implementing, monitoring, and quality control of infrastructure projects.
The training also aims to prepare personnel for the implementation of decentralisation in local government.
At the opening of the ceremony, Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão encouraged the municipalities to make the most of this training to strengthen engineers’ professional capabilities and support the development of strong, efficient, and responsive local governance that meets the population’s needs.
The Minister of Planning and Strategic Investment (MPIE – acronym in Portuguese), Gastão Francisco de Sousa, emphasised the importance of strengthening human resources capacity in the infrastructure sector and ensuring that development projects are carried out in accordance with appropriate technical standards.
The Executive Director of the National Development Agency (AND – acronym in Portuguese), Januário Maia Guterres, explained that the training is intended for technical staff of the Municipal Integrated Development Program (PDIM) and the National Rural Development Program (PNDS – acronym in Portuguese).
The goal of the initiative is to strengthen technical capacity to ensure that infrastructure projects are implemented to a high standard, with accountability, and delivering sustainable benefits for the community.
The training session brought together 56 participants—28 staff members from the Municipal Integrated Development Program (PDIM) and 28 from the PNDS—alongside six speakers, ADN advisors, and senior staff members.
At the end of the programme, ADN will award certificates to participants who successfully complete the training, recognising their commitment to professional development.
Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Minister of Planning and Strategic Investment Gastão Francisco de Sousa, Secretary of State for Local Development Mateus W. dos Santos Tallo, representatives of municipal authorities and the RAEOA Authority, and municipal engineers from across the country attended the opening ceremony.