On the 19th of October, VNG International officially launched its SDLG programme in Puntland State, Somalia. The event was attended by the line ministries, mayors of the target districts, regional governors, local authorities and youth and civil society organisations. The interim RPM started the meeting with an introduction about VNG International and gave an overview of past achievements. After these words, SDLGs programme manager presented the goal of this four-year programme. The overall aim is that local authorities and youth in the two target districts Garowe and Qardho jointly promote Inclusive Local Economic Development (ILED). To achieve this goal, SDLG Somalia will focus on 4 different outcomes:
- Improved local capacity to promote ILED within Garowe and Qardho
- Elevated Inclusive and accountable leadership within Garowe and Qardho to drive ILED
- Youth in Garowe and Qardho are empowered and positioned to promote ILED
- Enhanced intergovernmental coordination for ILED
VNG International will focus on the two target districts Garowe and Qardho, but indirect support will be provided to other Puntland districts through the Association of Local Government Authorities of Puntland (ALGAPL) so that this association eventually can serve as a vehicle that enables LED networking among local governments.
The mayor of Garowe welcomed the programme and stressed the importance of the partnership between VNG International and ALGAPL referring to the successful cooperation between the organisations in the past and the successes achieved in previous programmes. The mayor of Qardho underlined the words of the mayor of Garowe and emphasized the importance of a LED programme focusing on youth; “We need to focus on youth employment because young people are the future, if they do not have jobs, they cannot innovate the country”, he said. The Director General of the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Democratization stressed the significance of the programme and acknowledged that his ministry will facilitate and support the successful implementation of the programme. Finally, the Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation (MoPEDIC) welcomed the partnership between ALGAPL and VNG International. He stressed the importance of documenting the lessons learnt in the two target districts in order to disseminate them in other parts of the region.
After the guests' speeches, several key stakeholders signed for the launch of the programme. This is the symbolic beginning of a hopefully productive collaboration in the coming years, leading to the successful implementation of SDLG Somalia.
