Following the completion of Focus Group Discussions (FGD) in five municipalities, there was in-house sorting preparation. Based on the feedbacks and information received during FGD, municipal profiles, national & local policies and international examples; SWOT analysis was prepared in order to identify municipalities’ strength and weakness along with opportunities and threats. It comprised of 12 different sectors namely: Land Use & Settlement, Health, Disaster and Emergency Response, Transportation, Education, Local Economy Development, Public Works, Environment & Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation, Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI), Transparency & Accountability and Heritage Conservation.
After the SWOT analysis, a team of COMMITTED’s program staffs visited Bhimeshwor, Damak, Tikapur, Tansen and Waling municipalities to verify SWOT report with key informants such as Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Chief Administrative Officers, Ward chairpersons, relevant municipal sectoral staffs, and interested stakeholders.
The participants in all five municipalities gave their active participation and provided with resourceful feedbacks and missing agendas. The discussion also helped to analyze municipalities existing policies along with realization of formulation of additional important acts and guidelines. Local level participation, during the meeting, correspondingly helped to emphasize on the feeling of ownership and ignite awareness of duties and responsibilities among representatives.
Furthermore, the SWOT in itself helped representatives to evaluate municipalities’ potency and limitations, which directed a pathway for new programs and project implementation.
The SWOT analysis is an important step to the development of long term Comprehensive Plan and is under the project ‘Enhancement of Local Government Service Delivery & Economic Governance’.