The PRODEPEMES-ESTRADA (Programme for Small and Medium Enterprises in Road Maintenance) programme is part of the European Union initiative to support the Mozambique government's rural development. The programme, implemented between 2015 and 2017, sought to contribute to job creation and promotion while increasing agriculture and fisheries production by improving the road network. This specific assignment's objective was to improve the quality of road maintenance works performed by existing SMEs and increase market access to the best performing SMEs.
The project benefited of a budget of EUR 1.510.243
How we did it
To fulfil this goal, NTU International implemented different capacity building actions throughout the project, including several workshops and trainings for all the contractors who had contracts with the National Roads Administration (ANE), cumulating 2.122 student-days and 216 days of on-the-job coaching and mentoring. Among many others, the first workshop took place in Nampula on the 14th and 15th July 2016. It covered standardisation of the method for determining unit prices for road maintenance and construction activities. More concretely, the following topics were covered:
- Introduction to Project Management
- Road design procedure
- Road Construction Processes
- Bills of Quantities for Road Construction Works.
- Composition of prices and costs for road construction works.
- Bills of Quantities
- Social obligations and work risks.
- Construction Methods
- Bases and sub-bases,
- Soil Compaction,
- Bituminous Road Surfacing,
- Road Drainage,
- Road Maintenance,
- Spacing of cement bags in cement stabilisation, and
- Case Study on Gravelling.
- Preparation of the program of works.
- 1 Cash-flow projection ["s" curve]
- Presentation by ANE UGEA on Preparation of Tender Proposals
- Presentation by ANE Laboratory on Laboratory Tests and Quality Control
- Presentation by Consultec on Composition of unit rates.
Impact
The training had a significant impact on the professional development and performance of the trainees. The workshop allowed the trainees to have a better understanding of road maintenance and construction activities. It further enabled participants to bring their skills up to the next level.
Capacity building activities of the small and medium size contractors and consultants were more than just training for enhancement of management and technical skills. Facilitation of access to financing, better information regarding opportunities (tenders, available training courses, legislation and regulations), improved tendering practices, positive discrimination for national firms (sub-contracts and tender evaluation), appropriate contract packaging and an accurate and realistic system of classification of contractors were all components of capacitation.
