Promoting municipal efficiency with PRAMEG

(Quito, September 15, 2009).- CAF signed a non-reimbursable technical cooperation agreement with Loja Mayor Jorge Bailón Abad, as part of the Regional Program for Modernizing and Improving Local Government (PRAMEG) set up by CAF in 2007 with the objective of promoting more efficient municipal organizations in the region.

Loja municipality was selected for the program in 2008. The first phase was to evaluate potential municipal tax collection and later design proposals for work and investment. In this second phase, it is planned to implement the recommendations, collect basic mapping information to structure an urban and rural land registry information system; a proposal for organizational improvement of the institution; financial, economic and social evaluation; and a communication plan for socialization and dissemination.

At the signing of the agreement CAF was represented by Hermann Krützfeldt Krützfeldt, CAF director-representative in Ecuador, and Constanza Calderón, deputy director; and Loja by Mayor Jorge Bailón Abad.

For CAF, Krützfeldt emphasized the importance of "supporting more efficient local government in provision of services, and responding to the demands of citizens."

PRAMEG helps municipalities improve and modernize their land registry systems so as to provide a more transparent, flexible and efficient land planning.

Loja Mayor Jorge Bailón Abad stressed, "the impact PRAMEG has had on improving the efficiency of his municipality and, above all, the deepening effect of these impacts on the second stage of the project."