ROAD was implemented from 2017 to 2019 and focused on strengthening the capacity of civil servants in the field of local development. Its main objectives included providing training on current local development trends, developing guidelines and recommendations for local development strategies, and establishing online virtual campuses.

The project team established Training and Counseling Centres at two higher education institutions—the International University for the Humanities and Development and the State Institute of Finance. Both centres were officially opened in March 2019. The project also worked in close partnership with the Academy of Civil Servants under an Agreement on Cooperation. Overall, the project made a significant contribution to the development of a system for continuous training and professional development in Turkmenistan.

Key achievements of the project included:

• Development of training materials, including presentations and methodological recommendations.
• Preparation of a training manual, Project Management, and three presentations—Digital Education, Negotiation and Change Management, and Information Systems—for training purposes at the Academy of State Service of Turkmenistan.
• Delivery of five training sessions by trained instructors, reaching nearly 150 civil servants, followed by an additional 67 participants by the end of the project in 2019.
• Contribution to the development of a model for cooperation between universities and entrepreneurs in Turkmenistan.
• Establishment of professional contacts with regional specialists from Central Asia and the creation of a research community based on mutual interests to support and disseminate the project’s ideas.