The most significant factor that made our revival journey distinct and, by far, sets us apart from our chaotic neighbours was the fact that we were blessed with profoundly gifted, great negotiators. A group of men who have had social knowledge, personal stamina, and a steely determination to help their people put an end to the misery of infighting, fear and destitute.
They worked tirelessly to broker peace through bottom-up peace building meetings, gatherings and national conferences which, ultimately, culminated in the establishment of a fully functioning government, with the blessing and support of all the previously combating factions.
However, nations are like waves, they show periods of crests: strength, prosperity and unity, and times of troughs, where the well being of the country is not how it is supposed to be. Unfortunately, we haven’t reached the crest of our nation yet. In reality, during the last few years, we fast-tracked into a state of perpetual stagnation, regarding both effective state building and prioritising citizens welfare.
It is these particularly challenging times when we are in dire need for someone to formulate the right prescription. Nonetheless, the field is almost devoid of concerned, untainted and impartial statesmen, the likes of those great negotiators; many have left for the eternal life, and the surviving few were deliberately pushed aside.
The countless political and tribal arguments, we are witnessing today are some of the manifestations of that public erosion coupled with a penetrating decay invaded the entire political elite. Although there are persistent attempts to befoul them into the current political climate, it is for the young, educated men and women to take the initiative and plan or the future. The dullards in the so-called three parties put the country in deadlock as can be seen from the recent unwise, ill-conceived alliances and the opposed utter defiance and lack of vision.
About the Author: Dr. Abdikarim D Hassan MSc Diabetes and Endocrinology at Salfor Univeristy, UK. Dr Hassan is a freelance writer with special interest in good health care and Education for all citizens. He can be reached on Qurbe206[at]hotmail.com;
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of Somaliland Chronicle and it’s staff.
The Auditor-General has started an investigation into corruption allegation at the Ministry of Education and Science. Sources inside the Presidency, tell Somaliland Chronicle that President Bihi has directed the AG to investigate the Ministry of Education and Science.
The Auditor General investigation into the Ministry of Education and Science follows their recent investigations of the Ministries of Defense and Information that has resulted in the filing of criminal complaints with the Attorney-General, the firing of the Ministers and many senior level appointees from those ministries.
Auditor-General seal on one the doors at the Ministry of Information
The nature of the alleged corruption at the Ministry of Education and Science is unclear but sources confirmed that President Bihi has been fully briefed and is following the investigation closely.
Former Ministers of Information and Defense
Multiple employees of the Ministry of Education and Science who spoke on condition of anonymity have pointed to widespread mismanagement, cronyism and corruption. One particular employee added, “No one cares if you showed up to work on time for the last 20 years or you just popped in once a month to grab your salary and never work, it is unbelievable”.
To corroborate the employees misgivings about the ministry, we have asked a high-ranking member of President Bihi’s government familiar with the work of the Ministry of Education and Science and he said “The one place that functions properly is the examination team, do you realize they hold exams to more school kids, on time, then those that took part in the recent election? Maybe we should make those guys in charge of the election!”
Except the Director-General Mr. Ahmed Abokor who was previously at this ministry, the Minister and Vice Minister are both relatively new.
Both the Vice Minister Mr. Mohamed Dahir Ahmed and the Director General Mr. Ahmed Abokor were appointed to the Education and Science following President Bihi’s first major reshuffle on November 10, 2018. Mr. Ahmed was the Vice Minister of the Finance Ministry.
We have reached out to the Vice Minister Mr. Mohamed Dahir Ahmed to ask him about the Auditor-General’s investigation and if the reports of alleged corruption are true “I welcome the investigation to fix anything that may be wrong but I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation but it is that law that the Auditor-General investigate every Ministry and government agency every year” he responded.
Public records show that the Ministry of Education and Science receives tens of millions of dollars from the international community. There are multiple projects funding different aspects of education in Somaliland.
Mr. Ahmed Abokor with Hargeisa Mayor Abdirahman SOLTELCO
Despite the large influx of donor funds when compared to private schools, the quality of public education in Somaliland has been poor and many school facilities lack the most basic facilities.
There are previous allegation of corruption against the Vice Minister Mohamed Dahir Ahmed he led the now defunct Somaliland Food Security Agency when asked the Vice Minister was the head of the Somaliland Food Security Agency which resulted in his removal from that position, he responded “I had clashed with Mr. Hersi back in Siilanyo’s time. I have not been removed because of corruption and there is no court or Auditor-General that has accused me of those things”.
Mr. Hersi Haji Hassan, the former Minister of the Presidency.
The Vice Minister did not say why he clashed with Mr. Hersi. The former Minister of the Presidency, Mr. Hersi Haji Hassan, did not respond to request for comment.
The Director-General, Mr. Ahmed Abokor has also been implicated in corruption in the past while working for Save the Children on projects for the Ministry of Education and Science. According to sources, Mr. Abokor has been terminated by SCF as a result of those allegations.
Both the Director-General and the Minister did not respond to questions for this article.
Mayor of Somaliland’s capital city of Hargeisa Mr. Abdirahman M. Aideed “Soltelco” has finally figured out what is wrong with the city he is in charge of, why things are so bad that when it rains, mountains of garbage that magically appear out of nowhere, new roads he has worked tirelessly to build disappearing overnight.
It is mutant goats, the corrosive soapy water thrown on the roads in the cover of darkness to destroy the miles and miles of new roads he has built and the magical trash that folks out of town sneaking in and to embarrass his beloved city. Everyone is colluding to deny his tremendous accomplishment as the mayor of Hargeisa. He has accolades to prove it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IueFj0G1BS4
The Mayor’s reason to kidnap the livestock of Hargeisa is to protect the lush greenery he has spent so much time and effort to transform Hargeisa into an oasis that exists only in his fantasy.
Hargeisa Mayor Abdirahman Aideed Soltelco among goats he confiscated.
The garbage that plagues the capital, according to him results from people using the torrents of rainwater to get rid of their garbage. He says folks should use the refuse disposal services that show up one a week. He neglects to mention that the garbage collection service in Hargeisa costs 5 dollars a month. A service that should be included in one’s property taxes.
Garbage in Hargeisa in the rainy season.
The Mayor has cracked the mystery behind the magic roads that seem to disappear days after being inaugurated with wall-to-wall media coverage – soapy water! He has explained that this has been damaging Hargeisa roads all along and sent a stern warning to restaurant busboys who throw their dirty dishwater on the roads.
The experts who know a thing or two about building roads disagree that the root cause is ravenous goats eating the new roads or corrosive dirty dishwater, they think it’s a thin veneer of tar on top of sand that makes the road disintegrate in days.
What garbage?
Hargeisa collectively blames the Mayor Cabdishakur Cidin of Berbera who has been doing a fantastic job for his city. His recent efforts, and we say recent because he too, made drastic and noticeable changes to his city by way to new roads and planting a lot of palm trees in Berbera that he made Hargeisa Mayor come out of his long-term comma to declare an all-out war on goats and other livestock in Hargeisa.
The problems that need immediate attention in Hargeisa and every city in Somaliland go beyond goat droppings and cow dung, it is the lack of proper roads, simple city planning, power grid, sewage, environmental stewardship and honest service delivery to the citizens in their respective cities.
Mayor of Hargeisa, Mr. Soltelco is the embodiment of everything wrong with Somaliland. He has been adept in serving one particular citizen the entire time he has been in office and that is the President and the first family. Dropping to all four, tail tucked and playing dead has served him well but the people of Hargeisa are no longer accepting the excuses that a goat eat your plan and that it is someone else’s fault why their city is, despite the burgeoning population, a medieval city where citizens are wading knee deep in a mixture of excrement and garbage with zero services from their local government.
Mr. Soltelco, whose namesake is a telecom company he has run into the ground two decades ago, even hoodwinked President Bihi shortly after he has taken office by promising a new ambitious plan to manage Hargeisa via GIS and aerial drones – Whatever happened to that?
We are very skeptical of the recent “recognition” the mayor has received from Ethiopia and presented by the Minister of Public Works but we recognize him as the World’s Worst Mayor.
Have you no decency, Sir? Please resign and maybe in few years you could re-brand yourself with your ill-gotten gains and join the former Ministers of the Presidency, Messrs. Mohamoud Hashi and Hersi Haji Ali in debates about how well you have served your city and country and hope that we have forgotten that even a goat could have been a better mayor for Hargeisa.
Somaliland Chronicle is responsible for the content of this editorial.
Aktis Strategy, a major contractor for the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom (FCO) went into bankruptcy on March 14 leaving behind a trail of unfinished projects in Somaliland and around the world.
British media’s extensive coverage of Aktis Strategy’s spectacular implosion included gross financial mismanagement and £100,000 lavish parties complete with ladies swinging from poles.
Aktis Strategy has been established by two former British Diplomats, Dr Andrew Rathmell and Alex Martin, who knew their way around the Foreign Office and how and where it spent the money.
Swinging development: a photo from a party thrown by the now defunct Aktis Strategy for its employees.
What was AKTIS Strategy working on in Somaliland?
Aktis Strategy has been working in Somaliland for years, mainly in the security and the justice sectors with another British firm – Axiom International.
While Aktis Strategy seemed to have a large footprint in many conflict zones and held many lucrative contracts including work with AMISOM, Axiom International Ltd seems to be mainly in Somaliland and does not appear on the UK’s Foreign Office’s in terms of directly awarded projects.
@AxiomIntLtd, in partnership with @AktisStrategy, are proud to have supported the design & installation of a Case Management System that enhances the management of cases in Somaliland courts. Here the Chairman, Hargeisa Regional Court demonstrates it to his Excellency @musebiihi. pic.twitter.com/G2f5KaRhuW
The relationship between the two entities is unclear but it seems to have been jointly working on many defense and security-related projects in Somaliland.
According to sources in Somaliland Judiciary, the now defunct Aktis Strategy and Axiom International Limited has been working on developing the case management for Somaliland courts.
A screenshot of Somaliland Case Management System Aktis Strategy and Axiom International limited A screenshot of Somaliland Case Management System Aktis Strategy and Axiom International limited
According to technology specialists we have asked about the platform and its back-end system – FileMaker, they pointed to the fact it is hardly used for enterprise grade systems because it lack of scalability and comes with massive technical debt because of its proprietary nature that would rule out migration to more modern systems down the line.
Somaliland Chief Justice at the unavailing of the Court Case Management system back in 2016
Although this project has been hailed a massive success back in 2016, it does not seem to have any effect as a decongestant for the court system in Somaliland.
What happens to projects awarded and actively being worked on by Aktis Strategy is unknown.
Another area of concern is the confidential information with potential national security implication for Somaliland that Aktis Strategy has stored in its soon to be liquidated systems.
Despite the risks presented by the demise of Aktis Strategy and possibly Axiom International Ltd. These companies are insignificant compared to their much larger counterpart, Mott MacDonald.
Mott MacDonald and Somaliland
If you have never heard of Mott MacDonald, it is the private company that manages the Somaliland Development Fund and the international partners who fund the SDF have paid it 25 Million British Pounds to manage these funds.
Mott MacDonald have has been accused of corruption and improper conduct from Lesotho, to Singaporeand everything in between.
Many former and current Somaliland officials described the Mott MacDonald and its staff who manage the Somaliland Development Fund as very powerful and pointed out the Fund Manager Mr. Anthony Njue as the last say in many government schemes the fund finances.
Dr. Saad Ali Shire (second from right), Anthony Njue (second from left) with former Ministers of Finance and Presidency.
One former Ministry of Planning official who worked under Dr. Saad Ali Shire when he was the minister, responded with a question “hundreds of millions of dollars went through this fund, does it look like anything that is worth hundreds of millions was done in Somaliland?”
The of SDF Fund manager’s out sized role is corroborated by Somaliland Development Fund’s own documents, here are is how the Fund Manager’s responsibilities are described
Overseeing the procurement
activities of the SDF;
Establishing Procurement and
Evaluation Committees;
Endorsing award recommendations;
Reviewing complaints by
suppliers, contractors, consultants and stakeholders, and reporting the
complaints and findings;
Signing contracts on behalf of the Somaliland Development Fund prior to endorsement by the Project Holder, Ministry of National Planning and Development, Ministry of Finance and execution by the contractor/consultant.
Mr. Njue has been the SDF fund manager since it is inception, unfortunately, Somaliland Chronicle could not locate prior work experience in the financial industry that qualified him to run a fund of this complexity. It is unclear how and why he was selected to lead the Somaliland Development Fund.
Minister of Transport and Road Development Mr. Abdillahi Abokor (left), Anthony Njue (Second from right)
There are serious corruption allegations that point to Mr. Njue colluding with government officials to inflate the cost of a project and split the profits. The report points to an unlawful collaboration between the Minister of Transport and Road Development Mr. Abdillahi Abokor and Mr. Njue
Mott MacDonald is paid millions to ensure Somaliland’s Development Fund are managed in a fiduciary manner, yet its long serving Fund Manager Mr. Njue seems to a case of the fox guarding the henhouse.
As the case is in many third world countries, in Somaliland foreigners are perceived to be less corrupt and more trustworthy than honest and hardworking locals but the case of Aktis Strategy and its £100,000 party, eventual collapse and trail of unfinished projects proves otherwise.
A current official in the Ministry of Finance told Somaliland Chronicle “In Somaliland, expert fallacy is so chronic that there is a dirty secret and it called bringing a white guy or a foreigner to have any glimmer hope of anything done, it’s sad but it is the reality in our country”.
Foreign firms operating in Somaliland, especially in sensitive areas with national security implication pose a particularly unmitigated risk and Mott MacDonald’s Somaliland Development Fund is the biggest of all.
President of the Republic of Somaliland Muse Bihi Abdi has departed for the United Arab Emarites today on an official visit.
According to a press briefing by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mr. Faratoon, the president has recieved an official invitation from the government of the UAE.
President Bihi is accompanied on his visit to the UAE by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mr. Yasin Hagi Mohamoud Hiir (Faratoon) and the new Minister of Planning Dr. Abdiraxiim Osman Haji Abdi (Shibbiin).
United Arab Emirates is involved in large-scale projects in Somaliland including the management and expansion of the Berbera port by DP World, the Berbera Corridor road expansion/construction project and leasing the Berbera Airport for use by its military.
On April 10, 2019 the Vice President of the Republic of Somaliland Mr. Abdirahman Saylici and a delegation of cabinet ministers and other high-ranking officials from Somaliland government inaugurated one of the largest investment projects in Somaliland – An oil refinery plant in Berbera.
There are two foreign companies involved in this project Singapore New Silk Somaliland Energy CO LTD (SNSSEC) and China Power.
Mr. Abdillahi Abdi Muse (left) with Ministers of Transportation and Commerce.
According to the Mr. Abdillahi Abdi Muse, a Somaliland businessman and one of the speakers at the ceremony, Singapore New Silk Somaliland Energy CO LTD (SNSSEC) is the sole investor of this project. His connection to the project is unclear.
An oil refinery is an expensive undertaking and the cost of setting up such an operation is in the billions. If true, this would be the largest investment by a foreign company in Somaliland.
Unlike other projects, the number of government Ministers and high-ranking officials present at the ceremony showed Somaliland’s extraordinary exuberance in this new investment opportunity.
So what do we know so far? Not a lot unfortunately. Successive Somaliland administrations and especially the current government has not done a good job in vetting companies it has so far signed deals where the announcement ceremonies had more thought put into them than basic due diligence.
Vice President Saylici at the launch of Swedinvest Scandinavia in Sweden
Singapore New Silk Somaliland Energy CO LTD (SNSSEC) may as well be one of these except there is not enough data to reach the most basic of conclusions – and that is a red flag.
Singapore or China?
According to a language expert we have consulted to help us translate and answer if the foreign principals from Singapore New Silk Somaliland Energy CO LTD (SNSSEC) are in fact from Singapore or China, they were unanimous in pointing out that their accents are Chinese mainland.
Even though one of the foreign executives at the groundbreaking ceremony described the event as “a day that brought Singapore and Somaliland together”.
China is investing huge sums in its belt and road initiative and while China has so far not dealt with Somaliland, there is a small chance this project might be connected.
China Belt and Road initiative.President of Somaliland Muse Bihi Abdi at the opening ceremony of the National Service program.
Several people who spoke at the ceremony including the Vice President and foreign officials from Singapore New Silk Somaliland Energy CO LTD (SNSSEC) have indicated that up to 300 workers would be recruited from the Somaliland National Service and would be sent to China to be trained to work at the plant.
Price tag to build a oil refinery? Billions of Dollars
High barriers to entry and razor-thin margins make oil and gas industry particularly brutal where a plant’s size and its production capacity determine its profitability. According to oil and gas experts, a plant with less than 100,000 barrels per day capacity is not profitable.
According to oil industry experts, oil refineries are quintessentially economies of scale and the more output the larger the profit.
We have found 14 operational facilities throughout the continent that fit the bill to figure out what it takes to get one up and running.
Refinery Name
Location
Company
Capacity
Skikda Refinery
Algeria
Sonatrach
356,500 bbl/d
Ra’s Lanuf Refinery
Libya
NOC
220,000 bbl/d
Port Harcourt Refinery
Nigeria
NNPC
210,000 bbl/d
Cairo Mostorod Refinery
Egypt
EGPC
142,000 bbl/d
El Nasr Refinery
Egypt
EGPC
132,000 bbl/d
Mohammedia Refinery
Morocco
SAMIR
127,000 bbl/d
Dakar Refinery
Senegal
SAR
127,000 bbl/d
Warri Refinery
Nigeria
(NNPC
125,000 bbl/d
Sapref Refinery (Shell & BP
South African Petroleum Refineries)
In an effort to cut fuel imports from the United States, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador recently announced a 400,000 barrel per day plant in at the whopping price tag of 8 billion dollars.
Ras Tanura Refinery is the oldest refinery in Saudi Arabia with capacity of 550,000 barrels per day
Refineries in the oil rich Gulf nations dwarf their African counterparts. One of the largest is Ras Tanura Refinery in Saudi Arabia, operated by Saudi Aramco has an output capacity of 550,000 barrels per day.
So many questions, so little information
As big and brash the announcement of this project was, it seems that not many people actually know what it entails.
Out of several Somaliland government officials including some close to the Vice President we have reached out for comments, only one minister in President Bihi’s would speak on condition of anonymity “This one is straight from the top“ and would not elaborate further by what he meant from the top. He asked if we saw him at the ceremony and added “I am staying out of this one“.
There is a misleading line that several government officials including the Minister of Commerce Mr. Mohamed Hassan Sa’ad ‘Sachin’ and the Director of Central Bank of Somaliland Mr. Ahmed Hassan Arwo that this would be the third refinery to be build in Africa – This is categorically false and we have found quite a few refineries operational in the continent.
Mr. Arwo did not respond to questions about his statement and request for additional details regarding the project.
Other details such as the source of the crude oil are not entirely clear, though Somaliland’s location puts it in close proximity to many OPEC members who export large quantities of crude.
Mr. Abdalla (middle) at the refinery plant groundbreaking ceremony.
According to Yusuf Abdalla a businessman with deep ties to Somaliland government and a close relative of the former Minister of Investment Samsam Abdi, the plant production capacity will be around 50,000 barrels per day.
Though we have not had the chance to ask Mr. Abdalla a lot of the questions we had, including his level of involvement in the project, however, he mentioned that the project is still in preliminary stages where an environmental study and others preparatory work is yet to start and added that only a Memorandum of Understanding was signed.
Vice President of Somaliland Abdirahman Saylici breaking ground with foreign investors in Berbera.
This contradicts the essence of the ceremony with shovels and hard hats that symbolized as a project that is being started.
Subsequent attempts to reach Mr. Abdalla for additional details were unsuccessful.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that China Power will be building a large power plant as the initial phases of the project and though the fact that there is an energy production aspect to the project was alluded to some of the speakers at the ceremony, the size of the plant or its output capacity are unclear.
It is unclear how much land Somaliland government as allocated for this project, but an oil refinery will require considerable land. We could not find information related to the size of the land, location and the terms whether leased or given to the company.
There are too many red flags with this project that make it look like many of the phantom deals Somaliland has entered the past. The missing common denominator is once again basic due diligence.
Public opinion in Somaliland is currently preoccupied with the case of Mr. Ahmed Osman Guelleh, a prominent Somaliland-Djibouti tycoon and owner of Somaliland Beverage Industries against the authorities of the Republic of Djibouti. The political intrigue, the international manhunt (and possible INTERPOL involvement), as well as the clan dimensions of the case are all very interesting, but essentially, this is a case of corruption on a scale never seen before in the region, one that is directly taking advantage of the people of Somaliland.
A press conference was held on 4 April by the President of Somaliland’s spokesman, detailing the case against Mr. Guelleh and explaining the Republic of Somaliland’s involvement in mediating between the concerned parties.
Around the 0:35 marker, the Presidential spokesman stated:
“There is a standing debt owed by GSK Group, a company owned by Mr. Ahmed Osman Guelleh to the French bank BCIMR, a subsidiary of the BRED cooperative group which is in turn owned by the international bank BMCE”.
What is interesting here, is the link between BCIMR, a Djibouti-based bank, and the Republic of Somaliland, a country where no international bank has opened an office to date.
Why would a foreign bank that is – in theory – in full compliance with international banking standards with all of their risk-management directives and procedures choose to take the risk of operating in an unrecognised state such as Somaliland?
The answer might lie a lot closer than one thinks, it revolves around the very basic needs of elite oligarchs in need of financial services including the secure storage for proceeds of their Somaliland operations, and a group of bankers willing to facilitate these services for a fee.
The names mentioned by the Somaliland Presidential spokesman are important here: “BCIMR” … “BRED” … and “BMCE”.
“BCIMR” is of interest to Somalilanders due to its appearance in Wikileaks revelations dating back to 2009. A conversation between US senior Somalia desk officer in the US Embassy in Djibouti, the Djibouti-Somalia watcher and Banque Pour le Commerce et l,Industrie’s (BCIMR) CEO Ould Amar Yahya was leaked by the site, with contents that were not given much attention by Somaliland’s media. Here is an important excerpt:
Senior Somalia Officer and the Djibouti Somalia Watcher discussed Somalia’s economic
outlook with BCIMR’s Yahya on October 1. Yahya presented
an optimistic prediction for the future if security was
achieved, noting that Somali businesspeople that deal in
every imaginable commodity sold throughout the region are the
foundation of BCIMR’s deposit base. Somali qat (a leaf that produces a mild
narcotic effect when chewed) livestock,
sugar, pasta, edible oil and cement in particular have
enjoyed particularly high profits in recent years; and are the backbone of the regional
economy. A score of dealers in these commodities have current individual accounts worth more than $150
million each, and
there are hundreds of other accounts
in the seven to eight-figure range, Yahya said. And those are just the
accounts for individual Somali
businesspeople. When you add corporate, local and national government,
NGO, international organization and individual accounts, Yahya
said that BCIMR’s projected growth for 2009 was in the process
of being revised upward, despite the global economic crisis.
As soon as the security situation permits, Yahya continued,
BCIMR plans to provide financing for companies involved in
Somalia infrastructure repair projects, such as the
Berbera port renovation project proposed by the
French-owned Bollore Africa Logistics Group.
Who Benefits From Somalia’s Continuing Disarray?
At a time when local, regional and
international actors are coalescing behind the TFG,
friends of Somalia have to acknowledge who benefits from disarray in
Somalia and discuss ways that they could reap similar
benefits from a re-unified Somalia, Yahya said. Local
and international businesspeople make astronomical profits (despite the risk)
since they are relieved of the necessity of
paying the normal costs of doing business in a stable society.
Front-line states receive income, as well as
international assistance, that would go to a unified Somalia if it
existed. And, international organizations and NGOs that
are created to work in Somalia expend the bulk of their
resources on supporting ever-increasing staffs that work
“on” Somalia in Nairobi, but with few in-country initiatives.
The leaked conversation reveals shocking levels of corruption among Somaliland’s business elites and oligarchs (of whom Mr. Guelleh is one). The CEO BCMIR clearly states a couple of stunning facts:
1- The Somalilander business elites, particularly ones dealing with commodities are the foundation of BCIMR’s deposit base.
And more importantly:
2- That a score of these businessmen have individual accounts with the bank worth more than $150 million, each.
The Oxford dictionary describe a score as “a group or set of twenty or about twenty”.
To have 20 businessmen from Somaliland have individual accounts worth more than 150M USD brings a total foreign-holdings of Somaliland oligarchs in excess $2 billion!
For businesses operating in such an impoverished state, with a population suffering acute deprivation, to have profits of this magnitude is nothing short of national treason. Somaliland has inadvertently created a climate ripe for huge businesses to get infinitely richer on the backs of the poor, unemployed and suffering people of Somaliland. Many of the most basic commodities are signed off to be monopolised by one mega-dealer who owns the exclusive rights to import the commodity and set its price with little scrutiny by the government.
This is very dangerous. And to make matters worse, these massive businesses would choose to store their earnings in offshore accounts in Djibouti instead of investing in the country, creating jobs, and contributing to the local economy. There is also the issue of inflation exacerbated by these huge sums of money leaving the country and removing much needed hard currency from circulation.
But wait, there is a twist…
BCIMR being the largest bank in the region, is a subsidiary of BRED Banque Populaire, this entity owns 51% of the company whilst 16% is owned by a Yemeni bank and the remainder 33% is owned by… wait for it… The Government of Djibouti.
The chain of corruption engulfs not only greedy Somaliland oligarchs and a French bank, but it extends to the Government of Djibouti, who benefits directly from the current situation of complete monopoly of Somaliland’s markets by a few exceedingly powerful oligarchs such as Mr. Guelleh.
Do not get distracted by the games being played by Mr. Guelleh or the Government of Djibouti. The only real losers are the people of Somaliland.
About the Author: Warsame Abdinour is an Engineer from Somaliland based out of Wellington, New Zealand and can be reached @ warsameabdinour@gmail.com
Often we heard the following oft-repeated, but empty, rhetoric from our politicians: “we cannot make improvements in many areas because we are not yet recognized or have no funding.” But there are many areas we can improve without recognition and with limited funds. Although areas we can improve abound, this short article attempts to shed light on few areas.
Traffic Police
Somaliland’s traffic police have the ability to make outstanding improvements. These improvements will have two positive outcomes: first, it will generate revenue for the traffic police; and second, it will improve and enhance overall public safety. It is a win-win situation. They should effectively enact and enforce the following traffic laws:
They should erect traffic sings at the side of, or above, all main roads in Hargeisa to give instructions for drivers. These traffic sings include, but may not limited to, the following: parking signs; speed limit signs; direction; prohibitory signs; special regulations signs; danger warning sings; mandatory signs; priority signs; etc. Violators of these traffic signs should be fined according to the traffic sign. For instance, let us say, a traffic sign has the road speed limit of 48 kph. Any driver who exceeds should be fined. Or if a driver parks on a “no parking” area, he or she should also be fined.
They should have the mandate to issue driver’s licenses. Before issuing driver’s licenses, they should test potential drivers theoretically as well as practically. When testing drivers and issuing driver’s licenses, they should levy fees.
They should enact, or enforce a minimum driving age—which is the age at which an individual can obtain a driver’s license. Let us say, anyone over fifteen (15) and anyone over eighty (80) years. Any driver younger than eighteen or older than eighty should be fined
These fines and fees for tests and driver’s licenses will generate revenues for the traffic police. In addition, it will make drivers adhere to the existing traffic laws which, as a result, will improve and enhance public safety. If the revenues are managed properly, the traffic police will then increase the salary of its officers and it will also acquire traffic cars, walkie-talkies, computers, etc. These improvements require neither recognition nor huge funding.
Police National Database
Currently, our police stations utilize the outdated “Occurrence Book” (OB) to record the information of the arrestees; such as, their names, ages, arrest day, nature of the crime, etc. The OB contains thousands of names of offenders/criminals. It is almost impossible to retrieve specifically the names of the repeat offenders; that is, if someone commits a crime several times, our police are unable to retrieve prior arrest records of the offender. For instance, let us say that a young man commits a robbery and he is arrested at the same police station on 05 November, 2018; 29 February, 2019; 01 March, 2019; and again 20 March, 2019. Unless the police recognize the robber, it is impossible for the police to know that the young man commits the same crime many times. If a single police station is unable to do so, how about when the offender commits similar crime at different locations in Hargeisa, or worst in other cities like Burao, Borama, Berbera, Las-anod, etc. This consumes not only the police’s limited resources, but it also creates a safe haven for repeat offenders and criminals.
Our police can make the following improvements:
They need to acquire simple desk-top computers, database software, finger printing machines, etc. The aforesaid equipment could easily be obtained with cheaper prices or for free. When an offender is finger-printed and his information is entered into a computer, it is easy to retrieve his prior arrest record. This will help the police and the court to punish the repeat offenders which will contribute to the overall public safety. It will also help police to use its resource effectively.
They need to hire university-graduated students to perform the aforesaid duties since graduates are savvy. This will have many benefits: it will reduce the current unemployment rate and it will also encourage university student focus on their studies since they realize that they would be employed. This improvement can be easily accomplished without recognition or funding.
Somaliland Medical Association
Currently, our healthcare system is in shatters. There are countless medical charlatans (or fake doctors); imported and unregulated medications; and skyrocketed unregulated clinics and pharmacies. To contain, control and improve our devastated healthcare system, it is high time to create Somaliland Medical Association (SMA). The SMA will consist professional and independent medical team and will have the required knowledge and expertise to monitor and set standards for healthcare system. To do so, the National Health Professional Commission should outsource its mandate of overseeing healthcare system to SMA. The SMA shall:
Have the mandate to issue and revoke licenses. Currently, there are countless medical charlatans (fake medical professionals) operating in Somaliland. Therefore, in order to contain these medical charlatans, the SMA shall reexamine all existing medical professionals and have the mandate to issue, renew, and revoke any medical licenses.
Set standards for imported medications. Currently, our imported medications are unregulated. The businesspeople import fake, expired, and ineffective medications. Therefore, the SMA will have the mandate to oversee all imported medications; that is, it will act as a quality control agency for imported medical and health related items.
Set standards for medical schools and internship programs. Currently, there are countless ineffective universities “medical departments.” The SMA will have the mandate to oversee these departments and shall revoke the license of any department that fail to meet the SMA standards.
Set standards for spiritual healers. Currently, there are numerous spiritual healers throughout the country. Majority, if not all, of these spiritual healers run healing centers while they are not medically trained. The SMA will have the mandate to assess, examine, and set standards for these spiritual healers.
If SMA is created and is permitted independently to oversee the aforesaid, and many other, aspects of our healthcare system, it will improve and enhance our healthcare system.
Improving these areas require neither recognition nor huge fund.
“If there is a will,” the old adage goes, “there is a way.”
About the Author Abdi Hussein Daud and can be reached @ abdihdaud[at]yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of Somaliland Chronicle and it’s staff.
A delegation led by the Ambassador of Federal Republic of Germany to Kenya and Head of Mission to Seychelles and Somalia, Annett Güntheris is coming to Somaliland tomorrow April 8th.
The Federal Republic of Germany is Somaliland’s biggest donor on infrastructure projects including Hargeisa water expansion, road network and others. According to sources, diplomatic sources, Ambassador Güntheris will be visiting some of these projects.
GIZ Country Representative Mr. H. Linneweber
The German Ambassador are accompanied by the Deputy Ambassador to Somalia Markus Bollmohr, GIZ Country Representative Mr. H. Linneweber and others,
According to sources in Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and other diplomatic sources in Nairobi, the United States Ambassador to Somalia, Donald Yamamoto is expected to visit Somaliland.
This the first time Mr. Yamamoto is visiting Somaliland since appointed to head the United States Mission to Somalia on October 19, 2018
Details of Mr. Yamamoto’s delegation and itinerary were not clear, but sources in Somaliland government state that the United States is looking to assist Somaliland in the security sector, it is unclear if Mr. Yamamoto’s visit is related.
Updated: Friday, April 12 2019.
The United States Ambassador to Somalia, Mr. Donald Yamamoto and his delegation arrived in Hargeisa, Somaliland with his delegation and met President Muse Bihi Abdi.
President Bihi met with Mr. Yamamoto and his delegation in the Presidency where they discussed investment opportunities for US companies, democracy and Somaliland’s upcoming elections.
