Editorial

This edition of the Stability Fund newsletter highlights the diversity of the work we do in Somalia and the different approaches we take to identifying and implementing projects.

The ‘Lighting up Galkayo’ initiative is an example of our area-based work, where we aim to contribute to governance and peacebuilding in a particular part of Somalia – a city or a region for example.  In Galkayo, the Stability Fund is aiming to support projects that bring north and south together to ‘Think Galkayo, Act Galkayo’. The first of these was solar street lighting – a line of light connecting south to north.

The SOMGIT drip irrigation project is an example of our sector-based work.  This time last year, we published a call to Somali businesses to develop ideas for contributing to stability.  SOMGIT, one of two successful applicants, is now helping farmers in Middle Shabelle improve their livelihoods and is introducing new farming technologies to increase productive capacity.

Our support to the process of forming the Interim South-West Administration is an example of the Fund’s ‘Government Window’ work.  The Government Window – currently funded by the UK and Sweden – enables the Federal Government to identify specific stability, conflict reduction or local governance objectives it wants to achieve and, with Stability Fund help, realise those objectives. In this case, the Federal Government requested Stability Fund assistance to support the negotiations process in Baidoa, which led to the formation of Somalia’s newest interim administration.

It is through these three approaches – area-based, sector-based and Government Window – that the Stability Fund makes difficult decisions about how to contribute to reducing conflict and strengthening governance in Somalia.

Lighting up Galkayo

Galkayo is Mudug region’s capital, strategically located in central Somalia. Characterized by a semi-arid landscape, the region offers suitable climatic and geographical conditions for livestock and is populated largely by pastoralists. Goats, camels and sheep graze on dry, brown grass as herders sip tea and take shade from the piping hot sticky heat.

The city’s location gives the town importance on numerous socio-economic matters in Somalia. A lively trading city, Galkayo on the main trade routes between southern and northern Somalia as well as to the Somali region of Ethiopia. Moreover, Galkayo is a hub of calligraphic art, serving as a training ground for local visual artists.

On 11^th November 2014, an inauguration ceremony was held to mark the completion of the solar street lighting installation by the NIS Foundation, in partnership with the Stability Fund. This celebrated the illumination of 50 solar street lights installed at key locations near or around the infamous ‘green line’.

This mythical line that divides the city was a product of a peace deal signed in the mid-90s after fierce fighting between the two main inhabiting groups; Puntland now governs North Galkayo whereas South Galkayo is under the Galmudug administration.

The handover ceremony was organized with the intention of bringing the divided communities together, marking the completion of a mutually beneficial project. In attendance were the Mayors of North and South Galkayo, members of the city council, elders and business communities, women’s groups and peace advocates, all from both sides of the city.

Speeches from both Mayors reinforced the need and appetite for dialogue between the two communities in order to bring peace and development to the region. The Mayors reiterated the need for officials from both sides of the city to plan and act together to help unite feuding factions under the slogan ‘Think Galkayo, Act Galkayo’.

Women leaders from Galmudug and Puntland also spoke at the ceremony. Regular dialogue between women from both communities has fostered a positive relationship and a strong support framework for local development. Men were reminded of the legacy of Somali Youth League heroes and other key Somalia figures from Galkayo who played a key role in Somalia’s independence and self-governance.

“We don’t want to be widowers, lose our boys, raise orphans or spend a lifetime tending to fatally wounded young men. We want a better life so let’s not repeat the old mistakes and let us take advantage of this kind of opportunity. We want men to think about this’’, said Dhudhi Yusuf, a women’s leader.

Speakers reiterated the benefits of a joint implementation approach, which steered the authorities towards dialogue and coordination. In contrast with other dialogues convened as a result of killings or camel raids, this is the beginning of a community dialogue between north and south based on positive and mutually beneficial development.

The installation of solar street lighting in Galkayo marks just the beginning of Stability Fund support for economic growth and conflict resolution in the region. The Fund is now considering further initiatives to address priorities identified by the Mayors and city councils from both sides of the divide. 

An innovative business-driven solution

With the set-up of their research and development farm in Balad (the R&D site), it has been an eventful year for Somali Green Initiatives & Technology (SOMGIT).  Through an innovative NGO-private business collaboration with the Center for Education and Development, SOMGIT began engaging with local communities and authorities to introduce them to their pioneering water and agricultural solutions in hope that it will transform the traditional agricultural and irrigation system in Middle Shabelle.

Smallholding farmers in Somalia are highly dependent on rainfall but, with SOMGIT’s drip irrigation systems, farmers will no longer be limited to production in the rainy season and will be able to cultivate fruits, vegetables, and other higher-value crops that require more reliable water sources. The activities at the R&D site represent a pilot project that will act as a catalyst to generate improved incomes for local farmers and enable SOMGIT to grow its business.

In coordination with the government, SOMGIT cleared the equipment and supplies through Mogadishu Port and, in late November 2014, they were delivered to the R&D site for use by smallholding farmers. The equipment included farm tools and four new John Deere tractors to support the implementation of drip irrigation systems and the application of modern agro-inputs.

On delivery of the equipment and supplies, SOMGIT immediately cleared the land and began drilling a borehole. The company has employed over 50 people at the site, the majority of whom are from the adjacent village of Muryale in the Balad District. Muryale’s residents are excited by the opportunity to work and the prospect of learning modern agricultural methods. “This site is the only employment opportunity for the youth and women in the community” said a local elder.

The borehole at the R&D site is the only borehole for the village of Muryale. Previously, the village depended on the Shabelle River for all its water needs. “This project is a great opportunity for the community to improve its livelihood, over the years we lost many crops due to the poor rains and continued drought” said a local farmer in Balad. SOMGIT is now installing a solar-powered water pump and electricity supply at the site to deliver further benefits to the local community.

SOMGIT’s vision is to promote local economic growth and employment through new water and agricultural systems and thereby contribute to peace and stability. With support from the Stability Fund, SOMGIT aims to drill more boreholes in the region and further support communities by establishing farming associations and training farmers in the use of modern agro-inputs and drip irrigation systems.

Formation of the Interim South-West Administration

On 3^rd December 2014, newly elected Interim President, Sharif Hassan Shiekh Adan, was inaugurated in the Bay regional capital of Baidoa in the presence of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The ceremony marked the formation of the Interim South-West Administration (ISWA), a process overseen by the Federal Government under its mandate to establish a federal state before 2016, as stipulated in the constitution.

The process began with the launch of two conferences of community elders from the regions. These produced conflicting demands regarding the number of regions that should form the emerging state. Negotiations with the two parties steered by the Federal Government led to the signing of a peace agreement and, on 22^nd June 2014, the two sides signed an agreement to form the ISWA comprising  three regions.

The Federal Government hosted an Iftar ceremony on 5^th July nominating an 18-member Technical Committee (TC) tasked with organizing a conference leading to the formation of the interim administration. The formation of the TC was an important first step towards the implementation of the agreement reached by the opposing sides in the region.  

The TC arrived in Baidoa on 8^th August and its work began with electing the chairperson, secretary, coordinator and sub-committees. In addition to drafting the constitution for the ISWA, the committee was tasked with ensuring that the draft was debated and approved by all delegates.

In order to facilitate attendance of the conference by the TC, traditional elders and some 320 delegates, the Stability Fund provided logistical and accommodation support. ‘With the support, we are able to achieve our goals of having a fully-fledged regional administration that our forefathers have been dreaming of for more than 65 years’ said Malak Malabow, a traditional elder participating in the conference. On 28^th October President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud officially opened the conference, in the presence of ambassadors from Sweden, Denmark and the EU, as well as the United Nations SRSG and IGAD.

On 31^st October the delegates elected a Steering Committee, including a chairman and two vice chairmen, to facilitate the process of forming the administration and adopting a constitution. The delegates successfully adopted the constitution and elected Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan as President in November 2014. ‘Today we have a system in place and hope it will cater for the needs of our community who had been suffering lawlessness, anarchy and terrorism’ said Malak Deroow, a traditional elder.

The Stability Fund is proud to have had the opportunity to work with the various people and organisations that made all this possible. The commitment shown by those involved in the process was inspiring and the Fund will continue to support the region through various new investments.