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PROJECT REVISION | REMEMBERING THE PAST, ENVISIONING THE FUTURE

BASHKIA LIBRAZHD, ALBANIA

Librazhd is a town situated in the Eastern of Albania along the Shkumbin River. It was formed by the local government reform of 2015 with the unification of the former communes of Hotolisht, Librazhd, Lunik, Orenje, Polis, Centar and Stebleve, which are now administrative units. There is the National Park Shebenik-Jabllanice[1] that continues till the Republic of North Macedonia.

It is bordered by Elbasan, Tirana, Bulqiza, and Prrenjas Municipalities and in the east by the Republic of North Macedonia.

General Data and contacts:

Country           Albania

Population       43,787

Area                 793.36 km2

E-mail              info@bashkialibrazhd.gov.al

Vision

Serving the territory in the improvement of quality of life for its citizens.

Mission

Raise the quality of service provision through investments in infrastructure, education, health, services and environment through local incomes, national and international grants, and partnerships with prospective investors. Drafting local policies and implementing national legislation.

Priorities of the Municipality

Within the framework of new territorial reform, the Municipality of Librazhd has identified the following priority areas:

  1. Infrastructure Improvement
  2. Economic Development
  3. Environment protection
  4. Agriculture Development
  5. Social welfare
  6. Tourism Development

Infrastructure improvement and water systems

The support of central government and foreign donors in the last 4 years has increased, especially in urban infrastructure and urban development, improvement of the water system and irrigation channels, which are a key elements for the development of agricultural lands, such as:

  • Local road maintenance of the villages
  • Improvement of the Clean Water System
  • Improvement of the Irrigation channels in the villages.

 

Economic Development

In the field of economic development, there were:

  • Supporting Beekeeping Farmers in the Area, by having an Annual Honey Feast
  • Establishing local traditional restaurants and guest houses
  • Raise cooperation with textile firms or industries

Tourism Development

Tourism is one of the main priorities in Librazhd. Having a National park Shebenik- Jabllanica, that passes from the Albanian Border to the Republic of North Macedonia Border, with a beautiful landscape in between mountains, hills and fields. The main sports are hiking, and walking and there are always places to camp so the tourists can have a full experience.  There is a need for investment in the park to make it more accessible due to the bad situation of roads and the education of locals into investing in their own houses to transform those into guest houses. Some of the project ideas that Librazhd Municipality intends to find funds for are:

  • Establishing Guest Houses at least 10 of them, that are within the National Park, with traditional cuisine and housing and hospitality.
  • Promotion of natural monuments and natural sightseeing such as caves, karstic lakes, and fields full of various flowers.
  • Infrastructure support will promote the development of various mountain sports such as mountaineering, parachuting, skiing, hiking etc.
  • Promotion and branding of local products for their special values and artisanal way of crafting.

  Environment protection

Librazhd Municipality before the construction of the Levee phased many difficulties toward environmental causes. As a local governmental unit, we are giving the right attention to the promotion of environmental protection, awareness of the population and construction of embankments to protect the products from the river flow. However, our main difficulty is related to waste management and contamination of the river from waste exposition. The main project ideas in this field are:

  • Protection of Shkumbin river from waste contamination.
  • Awareness of the community regarding waste recycling and lowering the amount of waste in their bins.
  • Better coordination with waste recycling companies to cooperate with the municipal units for better division of waste.

Agriculture Development

Agriculture is another main sector that is developed within the area. Much of the population is cultivating different products in the area. The rural areas have agriculture as their development sector. More than half of the population in the villages produce fruits and vegetables as a way of living. The main projects on which the Municipality of Librazhd has set its focus:

  • Increase the farmer’s capacities in the production and cultivation of more traditional and local products.
  • Support the creation of Agricultural Unions for the better development of the area.

Social welfare

The social welfare program in the Municipality of Librazhd is set to serve vulnerable groups and cases at risk. Some of the main programs are Community Centers for children and youth with disabilities. A Red Cross centre for elderly people. Some of the key projects in the field of social welfare are:

  • Establishing a multifunctioning Community centre for Vulnerable groups.

Librazhd Municipality is always open to networking with other institutions and collaborating with international partners to provide better services for the citizens, which will bring us close to European Union.