Under the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-supported National Infrastructure Information System (NIIS) training program, ADB consultants together with their counterparts in ADFIAP Consulting (AC) held a 3-day curriculum integration workshop for the Local Infrastructure Feasibility Expert (LIFE) Program on November 19-21, 2012 at the St. Giles Hotel in Makati City, Philippines.
During the workshop, the three (3) ADB training specialists, Dr. Eduardo Q. Canela, Engr. Rommel C. Gavieta and Ms. Lilia Casanova presented their respective assigned training modules on the infrastructure project cycle and discussed the integration of the curriculum and preparation of a trainer’s guide and participant’s handbook. The ADB and AC consultants also discussed the LIFE program structure; the application and integration of the NIIS to relevant modules; administration details; its marketing, test and pilot runs and eventual roll-out in the Asia-Pacific region within the first semester of 2013.
NIIS is a web-based information platform that is particularly useful in the initial and early development stages of infrastructure project finance by providing a series of tools to: (a) capture key project data in a systematic and consistent way across multiple locations and multiple sectors (b) identify and fill any gaps in project planning and preparation (c) identify and mitigate project risks and (d) guide a project towards PPP structuring and private-sector institutional and commercial investment by providing links to marketing and funding resources.
The workshop was also attended by ADB Consultants Mr. Joseph Lufkin, Director of Infrastructure Finance Corporation, Ltd. (IFCL); Ms. Mai Rattanavong, ADB Staff Consultant and Mr. Marion Funtila, Operations Director of IFCL. In attendance from the AC team were Ms. Cora D. Conde, Ms. Arlene S. Orencia, and Ms. Ma. Cristina T. Aquino.
ADFIAP assisted in the build-up of a DFI (development finance institution) network database for NIIS which was developed with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Republic of Korea through the ADB’s Regional Technical Assistance 7379: “Establishment of e-Systems to Support Infrastructure Financing in Asia”. ADFIAP was also involved in the design of the LIFE training program and the identification and recruitment of training specialists who developed the infrastructure project cycle training modules.