With support from two development partners, the Bangsamoro Development Agency will soon have headquarters for its capacity building objectives: (1) a training center and (2) an office.

Training center

The training center, which will serve as venue for formal and informal events of the agency such as training, meeting, workshop and conferences, is supported by the Embassy of Japan (EOJ) through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).

It will house the Bangsamoro Development Center in Cotabato City, Inc., the official name of the center as registered by BDA to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The structure is already completed but the formal turn-over is expected to be conducted in the first quarter of 2015.

The three-storey training center is designed to accommodate 80 individuals in its conference room at the third floor; there are four rooms with 16 units of double-decked beds at the second floor ready to accommodate participants for live-in events; a kitchen and dining area, a lobby, a bedroom and an office room are situated at the ground floor.

BDA office

Beside the training center is the new BDA office which will serve as the official base of the central management office (CMO) headed by the BDA executive director. This is supported by the Turkey Diyanet Vafki (TDV), a humanitarian foundation based in Turkey.

Designed with a touch of Turkish arts and designs, the office is a 2-storey structure; with two equal-sized rooms to each floor; one separate room for the executive director; lobby and comfort rooms.

The new BDA central management office will be ready for official transactions by February this year.

BDA’s gratitude

For years, BDA has been renting spaces for its workplace which is somewhat challenging to the agency as it cannot maximize the use of the rented place; so as with venues for formal activities.

BDA executive director Dr. Mohammad Yacob thanked the development partners for the assistance they extended to the agency to make this happen.

“The construction of BDA office and the training center has been a dream of BDA and we thank our partners in realizing this dream for us,” Director Yacob said.

Headquarter for capacity building

According to director Yacob, the office and the training center will be the headquarters for capacity building mission of BDA.

“These buildings will help us attain our vision and mission both for the agency and for the Bangsamoro communities, it will be our home for development engagements, and towards the honorable peace we aspire for Bangsamoro,” Director Yacob expressed.

Capacity building has been one of the main priorities of the BDA to realize its mandate and help facilitate development for its people towards and prepare them as effective agents of development in the Bangsamoro in line with its slogan that goes “building people who will build the nation”.