IMPORTANT message to Somaliland government
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:26 pm
Anyone with contacts pass this message on. Somaliland needs to move very quickly to capitalise on the opportunities presented by recent developments. I am concerned by the lack of a sense of urgency among our people. And it is the responsibility and duty of each and every one of us to ensure that we instill a sense of urgency among our people.We need development now. We need good leaders and politicians now. We need food/energy/water/security/healthcare/education/jobs now. Not in 10 years time. Not after another election. Not after S/L is recognised (which may well be never). But now. And I just don't see that happening because there is no sense or urgency at all. For goodness sake Somaliland has existed for 30 years and it still does not have pavements, let along paved roads, power stations, sewage systems or effective healthcare/education etc. What is the point of Somaliland existing if it does not fulfil the needs of its citizens?
It needs to do the following:
* Move very quickly on the Berbera port and base deals. Strike while the iron is hot. Get the contracts signed, notarised and deposited at all relevant legal authorities. We need to close the deal. Construction needs to start within weeks. The sites need to be secured as soon as possible.
* A new technical, politically neutral, independent advisory board should be established to identify the investments that are needed to secure sustainable, lasting economic growth and social developments. This needs to cover all sectors of the economy and needs to be development oriented.
* This technical advisory board can't be any old oday or politicians, who are not educated nor experienced to deal with technical, economic decisions. We need serious, studious, experienced technocrats who have worked for multi-million dollar organisations and companies.
* They need to include Somalis but should not be exclusively Somalis. We need international expertise and knowledge, specialists in international law and finance. This independent technically qualified panel and its decisions should be audited by an international audit firm.
* Investments in projects that (a) create sustainable jobs and (b) provide a sustained return on investment in perpetuity, the proceeds from which can then be reinvested. Resources are scarce and projects have to be prioritised to projects that create sustainable jobs, improve people's quality of life and provide a high return on investment, in perpetuity.
- Invest in a fishing fleet and transportation facilities; storage, freezing, processing and transportation facilities. Create jobs. Earn hard currency though exporting the catch. The government can tax the operations of the entity. Revenues can be re-investing in either enlarging the operations of the entity, improving the technologies and operational methods, branding & marketing, entering new markets or in new industries altogether.
- Invest in mechanised abattoirs & tannaries on the outskirts of the major cities, storage, freezing, processing and transportation facilities. Create jobs. Earn hard currency though exporting the products. The government can tax the operations of the entity. Revenues can be re-investing in either enlarging the operations of the entity, improving the technologies and operational methods, branding & marketing, entering new markets or in new industries altogether.
- Invest in farming in fetile parts of Awdal/Waqooyi galbeed/the South, significantly increase the land under cultivation, drill wells to irrigate those farms, get the universities & professionals with the requisite technical knowledge to improve agricultural methods; bring in drip irrigation, bring in fertilizers and encourage import substitution of whatever produce can be produced domestically. Improve food security, reduce food prices, improve peoples quality of lives, create jobs. Earn hard currency though exporting the products. The government can tax the operations of the entity. Revenues can be re-investing in either enlarging the operations of the entity, improving the technologies and operational methods, branding & marketing, entering new markets or in new industries altogether
- Nationalise all universities (ban all non-government owned universities) and create a government funded independent univeristy. Invest in a proper university/research institute that has a modern campuses, is fully equipped and that employs the most qualified, experienced and talented members of the Somali diaspora. The university should have faculties for applied sciences/technology/engineering/medical sciences&technologies, medicine/nursing/midwifery, economics/business/sociology, religious studies/Somali history/Somali literature. This university/research institute should: provide excellent teaching, free of charge, to all qualified students. This university should also conduct cutting-edge problem-solving based research to address the technological/economic/social/health issues within the country and come up with practical solutions and authoritative recommendations. The university should have close links with and directly work with companies/industry/schools/hospitals/government departments.
- Invest in light manufacturing of imported consumer goods that can be produced or assembled within the county even if we have to import the required raw materials e.g. shoes, clothes, furniture, construction materials, foodstuffs (flour, edible oils etc.)
- Invest in a small power plant, dramatically bring down the price of electricity and encourage light manufacturing. Build power lines to the major cities, with the support of donors/friendly nations.
- We need comprehensive reform to provide an enabling environment for development. We need to establish a functioning financial system so that individuals and organisations can deposit funds, borrow and invest excess capital. We need to reform our education system by routing out all the fake universities that are extorting money from students without providing them with high quality education that is commensurate to the money that they have paid. We need to invest in research that adopts a problem-solving approach to find practical solutions to the social/economic/environmental/political issues that we face. We need to establish various professional institutes so that we can regulate, manage and effectively utilise the skills and knowledge within our country; in particular we need doctors, teachers, engineers, nurses/midwifes, surveyors, accountants, lawyers, academics, scientists etc. We need to restructure and reform all our public sector institutions to ensure that they are effective, transparent and that they are fulfilling the job for which they were established.
- We need to take action to diversify our economy by putting the diaspora's funds into productive use, rather than consumptive use. We need to control the expenditure on imports and in particular qat, agricultural produce and consumer goods which are haemorrhaging cash out of the country/economy; one way we can do this is by investing in our ability to produce these goods domestically. We need to support out private sector and entrepreneurs so that they can do what they do best and so that they can expand into other African countries. We need to improve our ability to pay taxes, collect taxes and put taxes to effective and transparent use. We need to invest in infrastructure, energy production, roads, ports, airports, airports, communications technology etc.
inchallah
It needs to do the following:
* Move very quickly on the Berbera port and base deals. Strike while the iron is hot. Get the contracts signed, notarised and deposited at all relevant legal authorities. We need to close the deal. Construction needs to start within weeks. The sites need to be secured as soon as possible.
* A new technical, politically neutral, independent advisory board should be established to identify the investments that are needed to secure sustainable, lasting economic growth and social developments. This needs to cover all sectors of the economy and needs to be development oriented.
* This technical advisory board can't be any old oday or politicians, who are not educated nor experienced to deal with technical, economic decisions. We need serious, studious, experienced technocrats who have worked for multi-million dollar organisations and companies.
* They need to include Somalis but should not be exclusively Somalis. We need international expertise and knowledge, specialists in international law and finance. This independent technically qualified panel and its decisions should be audited by an international audit firm.
* Investments in projects that (a) create sustainable jobs and (b) provide a sustained return on investment in perpetuity, the proceeds from which can then be reinvested. Resources are scarce and projects have to be prioritised to projects that create sustainable jobs, improve people's quality of life and provide a high return on investment, in perpetuity.
- Invest in a fishing fleet and transportation facilities; storage, freezing, processing and transportation facilities. Create jobs. Earn hard currency though exporting the catch. The government can tax the operations of the entity. Revenues can be re-investing in either enlarging the operations of the entity, improving the technologies and operational methods, branding & marketing, entering new markets or in new industries altogether.
- Invest in mechanised abattoirs & tannaries on the outskirts of the major cities, storage, freezing, processing and transportation facilities. Create jobs. Earn hard currency though exporting the products. The government can tax the operations of the entity. Revenues can be re-investing in either enlarging the operations of the entity, improving the technologies and operational methods, branding & marketing, entering new markets or in new industries altogether.
- Invest in farming in fetile parts of Awdal/Waqooyi galbeed/the South, significantly increase the land under cultivation, drill wells to irrigate those farms, get the universities & professionals with the requisite technical knowledge to improve agricultural methods; bring in drip irrigation, bring in fertilizers and encourage import substitution of whatever produce can be produced domestically. Improve food security, reduce food prices, improve peoples quality of lives, create jobs. Earn hard currency though exporting the products. The government can tax the operations of the entity. Revenues can be re-investing in either enlarging the operations of the entity, improving the technologies and operational methods, branding & marketing, entering new markets or in new industries altogether
- Nationalise all universities (ban all non-government owned universities) and create a government funded independent univeristy. Invest in a proper university/research institute that has a modern campuses, is fully equipped and that employs the most qualified, experienced and talented members of the Somali diaspora. The university should have faculties for applied sciences/technology/engineering/medical sciences&technologies, medicine/nursing/midwifery, economics/business/sociology, religious studies/Somali history/Somali literature. This university/research institute should: provide excellent teaching, free of charge, to all qualified students. This university should also conduct cutting-edge problem-solving based research to address the technological/economic/social/health issues within the country and come up with practical solutions and authoritative recommendations. The university should have close links with and directly work with companies/industry/schools/hospitals/government departments.
- Invest in light manufacturing of imported consumer goods that can be produced or assembled within the county even if we have to import the required raw materials e.g. shoes, clothes, furniture, construction materials, foodstuffs (flour, edible oils etc.)
- Invest in a small power plant, dramatically bring down the price of electricity and encourage light manufacturing. Build power lines to the major cities, with the support of donors/friendly nations.
- We need comprehensive reform to provide an enabling environment for development. We need to establish a functioning financial system so that individuals and organisations can deposit funds, borrow and invest excess capital. We need to reform our education system by routing out all the fake universities that are extorting money from students without providing them with high quality education that is commensurate to the money that they have paid. We need to invest in research that adopts a problem-solving approach to find practical solutions to the social/economic/environmental/political issues that we face. We need to establish various professional institutes so that we can regulate, manage and effectively utilise the skills and knowledge within our country; in particular we need doctors, teachers, engineers, nurses/midwifes, surveyors, accountants, lawyers, academics, scientists etc. We need to restructure and reform all our public sector institutions to ensure that they are effective, transparent and that they are fulfilling the job for which they were established.
- We need to take action to diversify our economy by putting the diaspora's funds into productive use, rather than consumptive use. We need to control the expenditure on imports and in particular qat, agricultural produce and consumer goods which are haemorrhaging cash out of the country/economy; one way we can do this is by investing in our ability to produce these goods domestically. We need to support out private sector and entrepreneurs so that they can do what they do best and so that they can expand into other African countries. We need to improve our ability to pay taxes, collect taxes and put taxes to effective and transparent use. We need to invest in infrastructure, energy production, roads, ports, airports, airports, communications technology etc.
inchallah
indeed the mighty tog missed its men.
