The United States Supports Efforts to Implement Energy Sector Reforms

USAID plans to launch a comprehensive trainings program in September for the employees of Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs)

The U.S. Government sponsored Power Distribution Improvement Program (PDIP) has prepared a comprehensive trainings program for the employees of eight power sector distribution companies (DISCOs) starting immediately after Eid in September.

Key areas in which trainings are planed are Engineering, Finance, Human Resources, Commercials, Communications and Outreach and Change Management. PDIP is already providing IT trainings to more than 1100 employees of DISCOs in eight cities all over Pakistan. The IT training will help DISCOs to use computers for internal & external communications and shifting from traditional manual systems to computerized and online systems, which will lead to improved productivity & efficiency and better customer services.

“The trainings program include management practices in strategic planning and change management, engineering planning and standards, personnel systems training, customer information system training, lineman safety, business plan and financial modelling, communications and customer outreach, and methods of developing and training personnel” said Dick Dumford, Chief of Party of the USAID Power Distribution Improvement Program, which organizes the trainings in collaboration with the Ministry of Power and Water. “The objective of PDIP is to assist DISCOs in bringing improvements in their work which can be only possible if they consistently and constantly build capacity of staff and adopting modern utility practices.”

These trainings are organized as part of the U.S. commitment to support the Government of Pakistan in reforming the energy sector and improving the performance of DISCOs. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) implements these assistance programs, which also support completion of dams, renovation of power plants, and introduction of more efficient technologies to reduce energy use in the agriculture sector.

MWP-USAID Power Distribution Improvement Program (PDIP) is a three-year, USAID-funded program aimed at working jointly with government-owned electric power Distribution Companies(DISCOs) in Pakistan to improve their performance in terms of reduction in losses, and improvement in revenues and customer services, to bring them to a level of well-run utilities as in other progressive countries. Through this program, the United States Government provides assistance and support to the Government of Pakistan (GOP) in its efforts to reform the power sector to end the current energy crisis.