The Asian Development Bank has awarded Sheladia Associates, Inc. a contract to provide technical assistance for institutional strengthening of the rural road sector in Nepal. Under “TA-9457 NEP: Institutional Strengthening of the Nepal Rural Road Sector for Sustainable Development”, Sheladia will support the Government of Nepal in improving sector management by implementing institutional development initiatives.
This consultancy is part of the larger Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (RCIP), funded by the ADB, which aims to improve agricultural productivity, promote agribusiness, and improve rural roads to all-weather standards, while ensuring roads are maintained in a sustainable manner. RCIP consists of two key components: (a) rural road improvements, and (b) capacity enhancement of the Department of Local Infrastructure, or DOLI.
Focusing on the second output, Sheladia will work to redefine and restructure DOLI into a state-of-the-art road agency. The Sheladia team will provide support to DOLI to develop and implement new business procedures and will also provide training to provincial and district officials to enable the department to restructure and adopt a new management structure. This program will also strengthen the institutional capacity of DOLI by improving procurement and contracting processes; planning processes; quality assurance systems; and engineering capacity – specifically with respect to pavement design, road maintenance and road safety.
Our team looks forward to working closely with the ADB and DOLI to ensure greater sustainability of the rural road network in Nepal.