Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Manuel Sager started his 4-days mission to Albania with field visits to ongoing Swiss projects in vocational education, local governance and health. 

He we accompanied by Andreas Gerrits, Deputy Head of Western Balkan Division at SDC, Swiss Ambassador Christoph Graf and members of the Swiss Embassy. 

On his first stop in Lezhë he visited the vocational education and training (VET) school “Kolin Gjoka” - supported by the Swiss financed project “Skills for Jobs”. Mr. Sager had an exchange with the school management and the project staff where he learned about achievements as well as challenges of the project.

Switzerland supports the reform of Albania’s VET system and helps a better alignment of VET with practice. On his second stop in Burrel Mr. Sager met with Mayor Nezir Rizvani and learned about the Territorial Administrative Reform, decentralisation and general local plans. He visited the newly established One Stop Shop in Burrel which links rural and urban centres through electronic administrative services to citizens. 

The Swiss delegation visited two health centres supported through the ‘Health for All’ programme – funded by the Swiss government. He met with health professionals – doctors and nurses – who are part of newly-formed peer review groups that share professional insight and earn credits in their professional advancement. Finally, the delegation visited the former work camp and prison of Spaç where he was introduced to Albania’s dealing with its communist past and had the chance to meet a former prisoner. The visit continues during the next two days with meetings planned with Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of Economy, Tourism, Trade and Entrepreneurship Milva Ekonomi and Minister of Health, Ogerta Manastirlliu.