Somaliland Diaspora Agency Conducts One Day Consultative Workshop with Ministries on Developing Diaspora Service Guide and Strengthening Cooperation on Diaspora-oriented Programs

[Deeq A.]

The Somaliland Diaspora Agency at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of the Republic of Somaliland conducted one day consultative Workshop on with Ministries and other Public Institutions on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at Crown Hotel in Hargeisa.

 

Overall purpose of this meeting for SLDA was to consult with the relevant ministries and the other institutions on reviewing, correcting, improving, finalizing and validating draft of the Diaspora Service Guide which we wrote in order to facilitate services to the Diaspora, support friendly business environment, and to create one-stop-shop; and at the same time on another  objective was to establish close working relations and mutual communication with Ministries on all the Diaspora-oriented issues. The Agency recommends establishing Diaspora Service Coordination Mechanism (DIASCOM) for enhancing communication and cooperation with Ministries towards Diaspora affairs.

Mostly directors of the Planning  & Research/Statistics Departments from the Ministries of Education & Science, Trade, Industry & Tourism, Telecommunication & Technology, Public Works, Land & Housing, Justice & Judicial Affairs, Transport & Roads Development, Interior Affairs, Agriculture Development, Environment & Rural Development, Minerals & Energy, Parliament & Constitutional Affairs, Finance Development particularly its Departments of Customs & Accountant General’s Office, Good Governance & Anti-corruption, Immigration Department, and the Authorney General’s Office, Representatives of INGOs and UN Agencies including IOM, UNDP, and ARC, Representatives from Diaspora-invested businesses/entrepreneurs including Nuriye Napkins Factory, Asma Style, Adams INN Hotel, Somaliland Vegetables Oil Factory, Deegaan Trading, RoseMary, Masalla Specialist Hospital, and other distinguished guests from public and private stakeholders based in Somaliland participated in the meeting.

Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, Mr. Abdinasir Ahmed Hersi delivered a key note speech and emphasized momentous role of the Somaliland Diaspora in the economic, and social development of the country, and the need to improve services to them and better engage them in the investment, and national development of Somaliland.

Executive Director of Somaliland Diaspora Agency, Hassan Ahmed Yusuf thanked the departmental directors and the officials from the Somaliland Government Ministries, Autonomous Bodies, and Agencies, Institutions as well as from the other Institutions, the entrepreneurs, and the guests attended. He underlined that other key ministries, and Hargeisa Municipality who were invited to the meeting had not participated.  “We are committed to advance services and information to Somaliland Diaspora, in order to achieve the outcome we have in the National Development Plan II (2018-2021) of increasing Diaspora role 10% in both the domestic market investment and their contribution to the public investment. But we cannot achieve this without the close cooperation, collaboration, and communication of all ministries, and other public institutions. We have invited to this meeting in order to help us review, and improve the Diaspora Service Guide Draft we have distributed to you, and so that we can help our Diaspora in access to required and accommodating information in the areas of the public service procedures, business investments, land property issues etc. There are more bureaucratic and red-tapism challenges in our Government Services, and we can address by strengthening our cooperation, and communication. Our role is more specific to coordination, information management and the sector regulatory policy development, and the services we have to facilitate is within your Ministries.”

The Somaliland Diaspora Service Guide which will be soon available in the SLDA Website upon validation with the help of the Ministries is covering basic information for the Diaspora in the following areas of Requirements for multi-business registrations and licensing procedures, Taxes and tariffs in Somaliland, Land property registrations and making files, Driving in Somaliland and traffic related regulations in Somaliland, Authentication of documents, other consular services and immigration related information, Somaliland Tourism Related Information, Somaliland Citizenship, related regulations and procedures for obtaining the National IDs, Judicial service related information (I.e. procedures for civil cases) and Sharia Law Services in Somaliland, and also Directory of Public Institutions, and other service providers.

 

In the Meeting, participants provided quick feedback, comments, positive critiques, suggestions, and recommendations in relation to the Diaspora Service Guide finalization.  Diaspora Investors complained of the current taxation system, the lack of Government subsidies to businesses, and also expensiveness of media for business advertisements.

 

Participants from the Somaliland Government Ministries, Independent Institutions, Agencies, INGOs, and Diaspora Investors and of the other Guests not limited to included:-

 

1. Ahmed Omer, Deputy Director of Policy & Planning, Ministry of Education & Science,
2. Yasin Mohamed, Director of Planning, Ministry of Justice,
3. Sahra Dahir, Program Officer, Care International,
4. Nimo Abdillahi Mohamed, Admin/finance, Adams INN Hotel,
5. Aden Hersi, Manager, Adams INN Hotel,
6. Mukhtar Nour Muhumed, Director of Planning Dept. Ministry of Communication & Technology,
7. Abdifatah Omar, Director of Planning Dept. Ministry of Energy & Minerals
8. Mohamoud Ahmed Hussein,
9. Abdikarim Abdi Aden, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Parliament & Constitutional Affairs,
10. Abdillahi Samadoon Omer, Director of Planning, Ministry of Transport & Roads Development,
11. Mohamed Abdirahman Omer, M&E, Ministry of Transport & Roads Development,
12. Mohamed Ali, Advisor, Ministry of Interior Affairs,
13. Barkhad Omer Ali, Legal Services, Athorney General’s Office,
14. Fathia Abdillahi, Program Assistant, IOM,
15. Mohamed Daud, Director of Planning Department, Ministry of Interior,
16. Fatima Mohamoud, HR, RoseMary Business,
17. Maryan Mohamed, HR, RoseMary Business,
18. Ubah Mohamed Ali, Planning & Research, Ministry of Education & Science,
19. Roda Salah, Manager, Deegaan Trading Ent,
20. Dr. Dayib Mohamed, Ex-Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture,
21. Dr. Mohamoud Dahir Afqarshe, MD, Masalla Specialist Hospital
22. Khadar Mohamed Yusuf, Education Officer, Ministry of Education & Science,
23. Dayib Mohamed Got, Officer, Ministry of Education,
24. Asma Ahmed, Owner of Asma Style Business,
25. Samira Hassan, Program Specialist, UNDP,
26. Mohamed Ahmed Ali, Communication Manager, Ministry of Energy & Minerals,
27. Abdirahman Saeed, M&E Manager, ARC,
28. Mustafe Ali Esse, Manager, Farmer
29. Abdirashid Ahmed, Farmer
30. Abdi Abdillahi Diaspora Member,
31. Ibrahim Abdi, CEO, Dhamac Investment & Consultancy,
32. Abdirashid Omer, Director of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture Development,
33. Abdinasir Hussein Omer, Director of Planning, GGCACC,
34. Aidarous Muse Ismail, Director of Planning, Ministry of Environment & Rural Development,
35. Qaali Ismail Yusuf, Tayo Construction & Furniture, Diaspora Investor
36. Saad Mohamed Abdi, CEO, Somsite,

 

Source:  Somaliland Diaspora Agency

Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation

Thursday, April 19, 2019