January 31, 2018 | Morning Headlines

Somaliland Declares Drought In Its Regions, Appeals For Aid

30 January – Source: Radio Shabelle – 131 Words

Certain regions in Somaliland have been declared drought-hit by the government on Tuesday according to Disaster Preparedness and Food Storage Authority. This was announced by Head of Disaster Preparedness and Food Storage Agency, Mr. Faisal Ali Sheikh. Somaliland authority declared that at least more than 1 million and 700 people of its populace has been impacted by the severe drought which hit hard the regions they inhabit.

It is clearly said that the drought is due to hit hard  47% of Somaliland populace. Mr. Faisal has appealed to the International Community and Somaliland citizens, to provide urgent relief to drought stricken people in Somaliland. There were recent calls that drought hit the western regions in Somaliland, particularly the coast where calls were made to send urgent humanitarian relief to save lives.

Key Headlines

• Somaliland Declares Drought In Its Regions Appeals For Aid (Radio Shabelle)
• Jubbland State MP Arrested In Kismayo Town (Goobjoog News)
• Somalia: Turkish Foundation’s School Hosts 500 Students (Anadolu Agency)
• Somalis Train to Improve First Aid Response Skills (VOA)
• Efficient Affordable Remittance Systems Critical For Growth of Africa (Capitalfm.co)

NATIONAL MEDIA

Jubbland State MP Arrested In Kismayo Town

30 January – Source: Goobjoog News 131 Words

Jubbaland state President Ahmed Mohamed Islam few minutes ago ordered the arrest of state MP Ahmed Tajir at the Fiat detention centre in Kismayo, the state capital. Reports indicate that the detained MP has earlier proposed an impeachment against state President Islam which was accepted by the council leaders of the state assembly to be tabled for debating.

As a result President Islam and the state speaker met on this matter, which they agreed upon to forward the motion to the house disciplinary committee where they subsequently stripped MP Mr. Tajir of political immunity. In response, MP Tajir posted in his Facebook page terming the move as unconstitutional proclaiming and that he is still an MP. Mr. Tajir, is the 3rd MP to be stripped of  immunity since the president came to power.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Somalia: Turkish Foundation’s School Hosts 500 Students

30 January – Source: Anadolu Agency – 274 Words

Turkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) on Tuesday said the Sheikh Sufi Imam Hatip High School in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, which it restored six years ago, currently hosts 500 students.  According to Turkey’s religious services consultant in Somalia Ahmet Akturk, numerous students were orphans. TDV said 270 of these students are boarders. ”All of the students’ costs are covered by TDV and the foundation will make sure the students continue their university studies,” he added.

Turkey began to set up various projects in Somalia in 2011 when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched an initiative to help the East African country, which was undergoing a famine due to drought.  The initiative later grew to other humanitarian activities and educational projects, according to the statement. Sheikh Sufi Imam Hatip High School, which has existed in Mogadishu since 1960, stopped functioning in 1991 due to civil war.  According to TDV , a new protocol signed with the Ministry of Education of Somalia in 2012 led to the resumption of educational activities.

Approximately 2,000 students apply to the school every year but only a hundred are accepted due to quota restrictions. Eleventh grade student Muhammad Hasan said the school was a “great opportunity” for all students there.”We get a combination of scientific and religious knowledge, we learn in the best way,” Hasan added. According to Leyla Sherif, another student, the school provides not only education but safety and health services too.  “Our school is one of the best schools in Somalia. We learn both religion and science and my favorite course is Turkish,” Leyla added. Since 2011, TDV has built centers for the disabled, hospitals, and orphanages in Mogadishu.

---

Somalis Train to Improve First Aid Response Skills

30 January – Source: VOA – Video – 2:12 Minutes

Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has been rocked by explosions for years set off by Al-Shabab militants battling to overthrow the weak U.N.-backed government. The frequent bombings have killed or injured thousands of civilians. Now, first responders are offering first aid classes to help Somalis learn how to help their neighbors before the ambulance arrives.

OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE

“Despite considerable challenges, Somalia’s private sector has continued to provide critical services in the survival and recovery of the Somali people,” he said, pointing out that remittances are a key investment resource that call for effective public-private partnership.”

Efficient, Affordable Remittance Systems Critical For Growth of Africa

29 January – Source: Capital FM – 566 Words

Remittances became a key issue in improving the economy of East Africa as the World Economic Forum came to an end this weekend in Davos, Switzerland. Speakers at Davos highlighted the important role of remittances from the diaspora as vital sources of income for the poor in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. The Forum, in which international business and political leaders gather for an annual meeting on global politics, economics, and social issues, was categorical on remittances; stating that they inject the much needed foreign currency in the economies of East Africa.

Key speakers at the Forum that ran from January 23-26 said the support of the international community is vital – especially for Somalia and the Somali diaspora, as the region has experienced years of instability, which have adversely affected the economy. Chief Executive Officer of Dahabshiil, a money transfer company, Abdirashid Duale, says money transfer plays a big role in improving livelihoods of the impoverished in Africa. “We will work towards improving technology in all sectors, be it in agriculture, business or any other sector, so as to help Africans achieve more,” said Duale. He said that Africa’s success is critical to global stability, and international partnerships were needed to build a global consensus on remittances, to help fight poverty, instability, and displacement.

Duale welcomed efforts by the World Bank and the UN to secure global remittances in the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, to be adopted in 2018 and recognized the important leadership role by the co-Chairs Mexico and Switzerland, at the Puerto Vallarta preparatory meeting. Remittances, he explained, “…ought to be enshrined in principles of human rights, a gender perspective, and shared responsibility, as provided for by the new Compact”. “I welcome the World Economic Forum’s System Initiative on the Future of Economic Progress, which aims to inform and enable sustained and inclusive economic progress through deepened public-private cooperation through thought leadership and analysis, strategic dialogue and concrete cooperation, including accelerating social impact through corporate action especially business in Africa,” added Duale.

Praising Somalia’s private sector for its role in the survival of the country, the Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said: “Despite considerable challenges, Somalia’s private sector has continued to provide critical services in the survival and recovery of the Somali people,” he said, pointing out that remittances are a key investment resource that call for effective public-private partnership. Leading a Somali delegation for the first time to the World Economic Forum (WEF2018) in Davos, the Prime Minister had several bilateral meetings with executives of international institutions and world leaders.

The forum brought together some 2,500 top business leaders, international political leaders, economists, celebrities and journalists for four days in the Swiss resort of Davos, to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world. Davos 2018 ran on the theme of “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World” and will be the 48th forum to date. Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum said the increasing failure and inability to achieve inclusive growth and preserve resources calls for the development of new models for cooperation. “Our collective inability to secure inclusive growth and preserve our scarce resources puts multiple global systems at risk simultaneously. Our first response must be to develop new models for cooperation that are not based on narrow interests but on the destiny of humanity as a whole,” Schwab said.