Press Release
A supervision mission of the Somalia: Strengthening Institutions for Public Works Project (SSIPWP) took place from 25-27th June 2019 in Mogadishu.
H.E. Hosow, Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing, chaired the opening of the Supervision Mission. The Honorable Minister embraced the work progress of the project and thanked the project team. The Minister also stressed that capacity building is essential for public works authorities in the country to lead future infrastructure development projects.
The key achievements of the project thus far include; recruitment of 21 technical positions and 22 interns for the MPWRH; preparation of an environmental and social impact assessment study for four roads that are proposed for rehabilitation through the upcoming Road Infrastructure Programme – Somalia (RIP-Somalia); training and skills development for 400 youth in Mogadishu, Garowe and Kismayo; review of existing public works legislations; and the establishment of an inter-ministerial public works coordination mechanism, to mention a few.
Mr. Jerome Berndt, Senior Fragility and Resilience Officer at the African Development Bank, thanked the Minister for his leadership as well as the Director General and the project team for their focus on inclusiveness and resilience building within the peace-development-humanitarian nexus, thus putting the development resources to good use in Somalia.
Joseph Ngom, Head of Support Services of UNOPS, reiterated that UNOPS is satisfied with the implementation progress of the capacity development project but also expressed the institution’s readiness to help expedite the progress vis-à-vis some of the project’s outputs.
During the de-briefing at the closing ceremony, Ms. Nnenna Nwabufo, Deputy Director General for East Africa at the African Development Bank, also expressed her appreciation for the progress made on the project. She emphasized the importance of the capacity building for the Ministries and the Somali people as beneficiaries of enhanced public service delivery. She also emphasized the need to fast-track the delivery of the project’s activities as these are foundational for the upcoming implementation of RIP-Somalia project.
In closing the supervision mission, H.E. Hosow expressed the Federal Ministry’s strong commitment to further strengthen the collaboration between the federal and state level ministries of public works to serve all Somalis. This includes enhancing hard infrastructure for regional integration to boost private sector driven growth as well as nurturing soft infrastructure (human capital development) to provide economic and social opportunities for Somalis, particularly women and youth. According to the Minister, working with the African Development Bank and other development partners, this facilitates accelerating the reconstruction of Somalia, which celebrated national independence day on 26th June.
The Somalia: Strengthening Institutions for Public Works Project aims to further advance the capacities of the Public Works Ministries at both federal and state levels for the Ministries to independently develop, plan, oversee and execute public works projects. The project is funded by the African Development Bank and is in its implementation phase. Executed by the Federal Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing, and implemented by the UNOPS, the project has made tremendous contributions to the capacity development of the Federal Ministry as well as that of federal member states and the Benadir Regional Authority in a pivotal time to foster peace, stability and inclusive development. In the last three days, representatives from the Federal Ministry of Public Works, the African Development Bank and UNOPS discussed the progress of the project and also worked on the planning and programming of the remaining one and half years of project implementation.
