The programme supports the government's efforts to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of rural poor people through decentralization. It identifies and implements mechanisms for:

• transferring more technical and financial resources from the central government to district assemblies in rural areas
• building capacities to plan and manage investments more carefully
• strengthening institutions and empowering communities to operate and maintain community transport and water infrastructure and storage, processing and marketing facilities

The programme focuses on strengthening local government institutions that are representative of and responsive to village-level concerns and priorities for investment. It creates self-sustaining infrastructures, especially at village level. The programme promotes more vibrant economies that can generate tax revenues to finance local government costs and reaches out to the poorest people to ensure that they benefit directly from support

Source: IFAD