The Hirshabelle election conundrum
This October, the constitutional 4-year mandate of both Hirshabelle’s parliament and president ends. After their selection by clan elders, the Hirshabelle parliament was sworn in on 9th October 2016. The legislative assembly elected its speaker and deputy speakers on 13th October and later its president Ali Abdullahi Osoble and vice president Ali Abdullahi Hussein (Guudlaawe) on 17 October 2016. The winner, Ali Abdullahi Osoble, (61 votes of 98 legislators) defeated his challenger, Mohamed Abdi Waare, who received 36 votes. Read more
Jahwareerka doorasho ee Hirshabeelle
Bishan Oktoobar, waxaa dhammaanaya muddo-xileedka 4-ta sano ah ee baarlamaanka iyo madaxweynaha Hirshabeelle. Kadib markii ay soo xuleen odayaasha beelaha, baarlamaanka Hirshabeelle waxaa la dhaariyay 9-kii Oktoobar 2016. 13-kii Oktoobar ayaa la doortay guddoomiyaha iyo ku-xigeennada baarlamaanka. Sidoo kale baarlamaanka ayaa doortay madaxweyne Cali Cabdullaahi Cosoble iyo madaxweyne-ku-xigeenka Cali Cabdullaahi Xuseen (Guudlaawe) 17-kii Oktoobar 2016. Cali Cabdullaahi Cosoble, (oo ka haley 61 cod 98 xildhibaan) waxa uu ka guuleystay musharrixii la tartamayay, Maxamed Cabdi Waare, oo helay 36 cod. Read more
FORUM: Sidee loo maareeyay ka jawaabista Covid19 ee Soomaaliya
On Monday, 28 September 2020, Somali Public Agenda organized a launch forum for its new report on the governance of Covid-19 in Somalia. Held at Safari Hotel in Mogadishu, the Public Agenda Forum was attended by over 30 participants, of both genders and from different segments of the society including the civil society umbrella groups, women’s organizations, youth, government officials, university lecturers, and the media.
A summary of the key findings of the report was presented to the audience by Farhan Isak Yusuf, one of the SPA researchers. This was followed by remarks from two panelists who co-authored the report. A panelist stated that the study found that there were many weaknesses in both governance measures put in place and how these measures were implemented. Another panelist noted how Covid-19 spread across Somalia and responses were limited to Mogadishu and main towns of the Federal Member States. There were no Covid-19 testing kits available in many districts of the country. Moreover, the Somali government did not disclose the number of people who were being tested and only provided figures for positive cases and those who recovered or died. It is believed that many people have died as a result of this virus in Somalia, but only 98 deaths were officially registered by the authorities.
Participants asked questions to the panelists, shared their experiences and presented some recommendations. The key issues discussed by the participants were:
- Lack of coordinated response at federal and state level authorities. Some participants stressed the need to learn lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in order to better deal with future outbreaks.
- The importance of data and evidence for public policy and decision-making was emphasized. One of the things suggested was the need to officially record death cases across the country and for the municipalities to manage burial sites.
- The importance of public awareness and community support was described as a key element in the virus containment and prevention measures.
- The economic impact of the virus on the most vulnerable groups of the society was highlighted by some participants.
Watch the forum video here
Warbixin: Maxaa laga baran karaa habka ay Soomaaliya uga jawaabtay COVID-19?
Halkan ka dhageyso warbixin ay VOA Somali ka diyaarisay daraasad aan dhawaan daabacnay ee ka faallooneysa sida loo maareeyay Covid19.
Personal Reflection on a Life-Changing Three-Month Internship at SPA
I have been interning at Somali Public Agenda (SPA) since the beginning of July 2020, and this is a reflection on how the three-month internship experience has set me up for success. The experience was truly amazing. It opened doors for me that otherwise would have remained closed. Read more
Evaluating the Governance of the Covid-19 Response in Somalia: A Call for Inclusive and Transparent Decision-making
The Covid-19 pandemic spread across Somalia and again exposed the fragility of public institutions. There are limited laboratories that can be used to test the Covid-19 samples. The number of samples tested was minimal in number, and the positive, recovered, and death numbers reported likely do not reflect the actual number of people who contracted the virus and the actual deaths from the coronavirus. The national Covid-19 response was understandably minimal, and was/is only limited to Mogadishu, the seats of regional states, and few other major towns. Although some governance measures were employed by the federal government and federal member states, these measures were poorly enforced due to the weak enforcement capacity of public institutions. There have been some financial and in-kind support to Covid-19 response, but transparency and accountability mechanisms relating to how these resources have been used are not clear. The Covid-19 pandemic became one among many pressing priorities for the recovering public sector institutions in Somalia, and one key lesson from the pandemic relates to the need for investment in both governing institutions and the delivery of public services. The pandemic may come to an end, but it could inspire leaders to invest more in increasing access to and quality of public services in Somalia.
Cudurka safmareenka ee Covid-19 wuxuu ku faafay Soomaaliya oo dhan wuxuuna mar kale kashifay jilicsanaanta hay’adaha dowliga ah. Waxaa jira shaybaarro yar oo loo isticmaali karo in lagu baaro cudurka Covid-19. Tirada dadka la baaray ayaa tiro ahaan aad u yaraa, tirada laga helay, iyo tirada dhimashada ee la soo sheegay waxay u egtahay inaysan ka tarjumaynin tirada dhabta ah ee dadka uu ku dhacay fayraska iyo dhimashada dhabta ah ee uu sababay coronavirus. Guddiga heer Qaran ee Covid-19 tamartiisu waxay ahayd mid aad u yar, kaliyana ku eg Muqdisho, caasimadaha dowlad-goboleedyada iyo magaalooyin kale oo waaweyn. Inkastoo dhowr tallaabo oo maamul ay ku dhawaaqeen dowladda dhexe iyo dowladaha xubnaha ka ah federaalka, haddana tallaabooyinkan si liidata ayaa loo dhaqan geliyey sababtoo ah awoodda fulinta ee hay’adaha dowladda ayaa daciif ah. Waxaa jiray xoogaa taageero maaliyadeed iyo mid agab ah oo loogu tala galay la tacalida xaladda Covid-19, balse daahfurnaan badan ma jirin qaabka islaxisaabtankana ma ahayn mid cadaynaya sida wax loo isticmaalay. COVID-19 wuxuu noqday mid kamid ah arrimaha culus ee mudnaanta ay siiyeen hay’adaha dowliga ah ee Soomaaliya. Hal cashar oo muhiim ah oo laga bartay musiibada ayaa la xiriirta baahida loo qabo dhisidda hay’adaha dowliga ah iyo gaarsiinta adeegyada bulshada. Aafada waa lasoo afjari karaa, laakiin waxay ku dhiirigelin kartaa hoggaamiyeyaasha inay maalgeliyaan kordhinta helitaanka iyo tayada adeegyada bulshada ee Soomaaliya.
Soo rogo warbixinta oo dhameystiran
Somali Public AgendaSPA’s New Service Design and Training Centers
When Somali Public Agenda was established in early 2018, it had a unique methodology. The approach combined research, public service design, and training on governance and service delivery issues in Somalia.
The three portfolios are interconnected. As can be seen on the website, SPA research focuses on seven thematic areas namely decentralization, public bureaucracy, and local administration; democratization and elections; financial governance; security, justice, and rule of law; urban planning and land administration; employment; and, education system and health services. Read more
The ‘Electoral Constituency Caucuses’: Analysis of the new electoral model agreed in Dhusamareb
On Thursday, 20 August 2020, the president of Somalia, leaders of 3 federal member states (Galmudug, South West, and Hirshabelle), and the governor of Benadir region agreed and signed a new election model dubbed the ‘Electoral Constituency Caucuses’. The agreement was reached after a series of talks held in Dhusamareb, the capital city of Galmudug. At the conclusion of the previous Dhusamareb (2) conference, a joint technical committee from the federal government and federal member states was proposed with the mandate to explore electoral models and present options to the leaders of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Federal Member States (FMS) in a third Dhusamareb meeting, which was slated for 15th August. After meetings in Mogadishu and Dhusamareb, the technical committee proposed 3 models, one of which the leaders had to settle on. Read more
The New Humanitarian