Time flies instantly and things evolve quickly. It was only the other day (3rd July 2021) when I joined Somali Public Agenda (SPA) as an intern and become part of a loving, caring, and result-driven family. Three months have passed since that important day, but it feels to me like it has only been 3 days. Read more
Policies, programs, and projects that are designed and implemented to serve the needs of Somalia’s citizens often fail to achieve their objectives. Regrettably, this observation is so widespread and noted so often that it is easy to gloss over it as an area for dedicated attention. After all, there are many forces at work that prevent sound policymaking. However, even well- functioning and democratic states (like Canada and Denmark) have noticed that policies designed in closer cooperation with the population can create more nuanced, local, legitimate, and ultimately effective solutions that “designing from above” cannot achieve. Policy design centers are innovation initiatives that are being built and utilized worldwide and — with some adaption and creativity — could bring notable advances to Somalia and even to the region as a whole. This brief explains how policy design thinking has evolved globally, and the wider role of Policy Design Centers. It then focuses on particular needs that Somalia faces in this area, and the role that the Somali Public Agenda Center for Public Policy and Service Design is emerging to play.
Siyaasadaha, barnaamijyada, iyo mashaariicda la naqshadeeyo, ee la hirgaliyo si ay ugu adeegaan baahida muwaadiniinta Soomaaliyeed ayaa badanaa ku guuldareysta ujeedooyinkooda. Nasiib darro, arrintani waa mid aad u baahsan, iyadoo marar badan la sheego in la fududeysto in ay tahay qeyb u baahan fiiro gaar ah in loo yeesho. Waxaa jira awoodo fara badan oo goobta shaqada ah, kuwaasoo caqabad ku noqda in la dejiyo siyaasad hagaagsan. Si kastaba, xitaa dowladaha leh hay’ado si wanaagsan u shaqeynaya oo dimuqraadi ah (sida Canada iyo Denmark) ayaa ogaaday siyaasadaha la naqshadeeyo ayadoo wadashaqeyn dhaw lala yeelanayo dadweynaha in ay abuuri karaan isbeddel la taaban karo, maxalli ah, dadweynaha ka turjumaya, ugu dambeyntiina xal waxtar ah leh, kaasoo “marka naqshadaynta xagga sare laga keeno” aanu ka guul keeni karin. Xarumaha Naqshadeynaya Siyaasadaha waa halabuurro cusub oo ay adeegsato dunida oo dhan— kuwaas oo haddii xoogaa halabuur iyo hirgelin laysugu daro u horseedi kara horumar la taaban karo Soomaaliya iyo xitaa gobolka oo dhan. Qoraalkan kooban wuxuu sharraxayaa sida fikirka naqshadaynta siyaasaddu u kobcay adduunka iyo kaalinta ballaaran ee Xarumaha Naqshadeynta Siyaasadda. Intaa kadib waxa uu diiradda saarayaa baahiyaha gaarka ah oo ay Soomaaliya wajaheyso iyo kaalinta Somali Public Agenda Center for Public Policy and Service Design ay u taagan tahay in ay cayaarto.
Dhawaan waxa aan daabacnay daraasad muddo sanad ah socotay oo lagu baarayay hannanka maaliyadda federaalka Soomaaliya.
Cilmibaaristaas waxa hoggaaminayay Farxaan Isaaq Yuusuf oo ah Agaasime Kuxigeenka Somali Public Agenda. Farhan iyo Mahad oo warbixinta wada qoray ayaa ka sheekeysanaya nuxurka natiijada kasoo baxday cilmibaarista.
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There are opportunities and challenges associated with the Puntland democratization process, and important lessons that can be learnt from this exercise. Some of the key lessons include the inclusion of internally displaced people (IDPs) in the registration drive, the positive role of traditional elders (even when transitioning to full democracy and direct elections), the importance of initiating registration of persons at the Federal Member States level, and the encouraging experience of bottom-up registration of voters in Somalia.
This report proposes recommendations to different actors that, if implemented and considered by the stakeholders in the Puntland democratization process, could go a long way in enhancing and improving the transparency and quality of Puntland’s Local Government’s Elections and the democratization process as a whole. The recommendations include: that the Puntland government maintains its political commitment, which is crucial for the accomplishment of universal suffrage; that TPEC should keep up the momentum and avoid any conflict of interest going forward; that political associations must include women and youth in their organizational structures, and that they should offer alternative leadership and constructive criticism in theircampaigning and selling of their political agenda. Puntland civil society is encouraged to speed up and launch a coordinated awareness exercise in order to bridge the information gap. On the other hand, the study recommends other Federal Member States of Somalia to take the democratization process of Puntland as a benchmark and learn best practices from each other. The international partners should continue the goodwill and technical and financial support they have offered to Puntland’s democratization process.
Waxaa jira fursado iyo caqabado la xiriira geeddi-socodka dimuqraadiyeynta Puntland, iyo casharro muhiim ah oo laga baran karo howlaha doorashooyinka dowladaha hoose. Casharrada muhiimka ah waxaa kamid ah in dadka gudaha ku barakacay lagu daro diiwaangelinta, doorka wanaagsan ee odayaasha dhaqanka, muhiimadda ay leedahay in laga billaabo diiwaangelinta dadka heerka Dowladaha xubnaha ka ah Dowladda Federaalka, iyo waayo-aragnimada dhiirri-gelinta leh ee diiwaan-gelinta cod-bixiyeyaasha Soomaaliya.
Warbixintani waxay usoo jeedinaysaa talooyin daneeyeyaasha kala duwan, kuwaasoo haddii ay tixgeliyaan, wax weyn ka tari karta sare-u-qaadista iyo hagaajinta daahfurnaanta iyo tayada Doorashooyinka Dowladaha Hoose ee Puntland iyo geedi-socodka dimuqraadiyadda guud ahaan. Talooyinka waxaa kamid ah: in dowladda Puntland ay sii joogteyso ka go’naanshaheeda siyaasadeed, taasoo muhiim u ah dhammaystirka doorashada; in TPEC ay sii waddo dardar- gelinta howlaha doorashada oo ay ka fogaato wax kasta oo carqaladeyn kara shaqada ama muujin kara eex iyo dano gaar ah; in ururrada siyaasadeed ay muhiim tahay inay ku daraan haweenka iyo dhalinyarada qaab-dhismeedkooda urur, iyo inay soo bandhigaan hoggaamin iyo dhaliil wax dhiseysa marka ay ololeynayaan ama iibinayaan ajendayaashooda siyaasadeed. Bulshada rayidka ah ee Puntland waxaa lagu dhiirrigelinayaa in ay dardar geliyaan oo ay billaabaan wacyi-gelin isku-dhafan si loo yareeyo baahida weyn ee loo qabo macluumaadka doorashada. Dhinaca kale, daraasaddu waxay ku talinaysaa Dowladaha kale ee xubnaha ka ah Dowladda Federaalka Soomaaliya inay halbeeg ka dhigtaan hannaanka dimuqraadiyadda Puntland oo ay ka qaataan tijaabooyinka ugu wanaagsan ee lagu guuleystay. Saaxiibada caalamku iyaguna waa inay sii wadaan taageerada farsamo iyo maaliyadeed ee ay ku taageeraan geeddi-socodka dimuqraadiyadda Puntland.
In recent years, Somalia’s digital space has been widening. Hundreds of thousands of youth have been getting online for multiple purposes, but mostly to connect with the globe and to empower and educate themselves. This influx has partly been aided by Somalia’s cheap and high-speed internet. Therefore, the Somali Public Agenda Center for Learning and Development saw the need to acquaint these youth to better utilize the digital tools they already have to increase their employability, get connected with the rest of the world, and become a voice for their communities. This led to the idea for blog writing training.
Blog writing is a useful skill that can propel a person into many career opportunities. It allows someone to share his/her perspective on something, shed light on topics that are out of the spotlight of the media, protect their privacy, and satisfy their writing interests. These needs, along with many others, necessitated the SPA Center for Learning and Development to fill a skills gap. Read more
Somalia adopted a federal system in 2004 when the Transitional Federal Charter was adopted in Kenya. Since then, it has evolved into a provisional constitution, which was temporarily approved by the over 800-member constitutional assembly in Mogadishu in 2012. The devolution of power has exposed Somalia to recurrent disputes between the FGS and its constituent units over power and resource distribution. At the heart of a bitter and draining schism and bone of contention between the levels of government is fiscal federalism. This results from ambiguity inherent in the Somalia Provisional Constitution over this and other crucial matters. As this problem grows, this study sheds light on the state of fiscal federalism in Somalia, and the challenges that stand in the way of a workable agreement. However, it also proposes practical models and recommendations in resolving the existing disputes over fiscal federalism.
After the disagreements over the delayed elections were settled, Somalia is to hold indirect parliamentary and presidential elections. The first phase of elections, Upper House elections, is scheduled to take place in late July 2021 while the House of the People and presidential elections will follow respectively.
Consequently, to watch, observe and report on the transparency, probity and integrity of the electoral processes, Creative Associates International through Bringing Unity, Integrity, and Legitimacy to Democracy (BUILD) Program, initiated and advertised National Election Observation Missions bid by civil society organizations in the five Federal Member States and Benadir region.
SPA, reckoning on its extensive writing on Somalia elections, applied for the bid and won it later. As part of its performance obligations, SPA recruits ten (10) qualified observers to be trained and engage in the election observation in the Benadir region during the election phases.
Mahad Wasuge
Transitional Puntland Electoral Commission (TPEC)