Efforts to improve local governance in Afghanistan showing signs of progress

A new Afghan agency, the Independent Directorate of Local Governance, is working to extend of the central government’s presence into provinces in danger of falling under Taliban control, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Led by Jelani Popal, deputy finance minister and founder of the Afghan Development Association, the new agency plans to concentrate on 11 priority provinces where the Taliban is beginning to make inroads or the breakdown of government is the most threatening. The idea is to catch a deteriorating province before the Taliban can take advantage of the instability.

To do this, Popal has put special emphasis on repairing the government’s relationship with the ordinary Afghans. Alienation, he argues, has had a disastrous effect across the country, making it essential to “bring the decision-making as close as possible to the people.”

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