National Journal Talks to IRI's Paul Fagan About Democracy in Somaliland

[Jacaylbaro]

The West has proven a valuable source of democracy-building and development aid for Somaliland, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it republic in northern Africa. But it is China that has been willing to gamble big on the economic-development projects it needs most.

 

“When you talk about infrastructure development, China is one of the leading countries in the world,” said Somaliland Foreign Affairs Minister Mohamed Omar, who is in Washington this week. “You cannot get roads built and bridges done, and ports done and airports, with humanitarian and development assistance.”

 

“Contemporary development assistance focuses on what I would call ‘soft sector’,” Omar said: things like institutional development, education, health, capacity building. “Aid is not aimed to build roads—and for the economic development you would need to develop that infrastructure,” Omar said. “The Chinese are very good at that.”

 

Chinese oil company PetroTrans plans to turn Berbera port into a modern facility, in a deal with the Somaliland government that will help PetroTrans export the natural gas it extracts from Ethiopia. Modern roads connecting Somaliland and Ethiopia will be part of the deal, which has yet to be finalized, Omar said.

 

 

 

FULL ARTICLE: http://www.iri.org/news-events-press-center/news/national-journal-talks-iris-paul-fagan-about-democracy-somaliland