The World Bank mission team met with the D'MADD project's Project Management Unit (PMU) on September 17th as part of its support and implementation mission from September 15th to 23rd, 2024. The mission was led by Mr. Jerome Bezzina (Task Team Leader, Sr. Digital Development Specialist), and included Ms. Anna Metz (co-Task Team Leader, Sr. Digital Development Specialist).

Dr. Ibrahim Waheed, project manager, led the PMU team, accompanied by Mr. Ahmed Haleem (Communications Specialist), Ms. Shama Ahmed Rasheed (Procurement Specialist), Ms. Ahlam Abdul Sattar (Finance Management Specialist), and Ms. Fathmath Shafa Hussain (Project Officer).

During the meeting, Dr. Waheed provided an in-depth update on the project's implementation, highlighting its current status, significant progress, and critical challenges. His presentation covered all four project components in detail. He outlined the milestones achieved under each component and elaborated on various activities undertaken to drive the project's goals forward. Dr. Waheed also addressed challenges such as resource constraints, policy gaps, and stakeholder alignment. His presentation emphasized the collaborative efforts to overcome these issues and sustain the project's momentum, ensuring alignment with broader objectives and stakeholder expectations.

Dr. Waheed also shared additional activities carried out by the PMU, such as ‘Thursday Training’. This is an initiative by the project manager to share and transfer knowledge among the team members. A team member conducts these training sessions on the last Thursday of each month. Moreover, he showcased the quarterly Newsletter produced to reflect the work done by the PMU, which was initiated in January 2023.

The meeting concluded with Dr. Waheed sharing the D’MADD website with the task team leaders. The website is set to be the official communication platform for the project, providing up-to-date information. It will work with the social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. The World Bank mission team praised the PMU for the progress of the different project activities and team members' commitment to the effective implementation of the project.