September 13, 2018 | Daily Monitoring Report
Islamic Development Bank Freezes Somalia Project
12 September – Source: Voice of America – 879 Words
The Islamic Development Bank has suspended a multimillion-dollar project in Somalia due to accusations of corruption and mismanagement. Started in October 2016, the Dryland Development Project was being conducted in three rural villages to help pastoralists build resilience to drought, give them access to health and education services, and develop livestock and crops.
The project was set to cost $5 million overall, and since February 2017, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) had transferred about $1.5 million to an account at Somalia’s central bank in three installments. But according to an IsDB audit of the project, a progress report submitted by the project’s coordinator, Abdishakur Aden Mohamud, contained “no substantial information” on what the project has achieved.
A letter by IsDB written on July 5 this year, seen by VOA Somali’s Investigative Dossier program, said there was no supporting evidence for the claims made in the report. The letter stated the audit raised several concerns, including the lack of a coherent payment system and overpayments to a supplier. The IsDB also said while the audit was being conducted, the project coordinator made cash and check withdrawals which it said was “not in line with the fiduciary and financial management system.” The bank has asked the Somali federal government to investigate and take appropriate actions. In the meantime, IsDB has frozen the account.
Key Headlines
- Islamic Development Bank Freezes Somalia Project (Voice of America)
- House Of The People Speaker Hosts Southwest Presidential Aspirants Among Them Mukhtar Robow (jowhar.com)
- Somali Forces Carry Out Massive Swoop In Capital After Car Bombings (Shabelle Media)
- Kenya To Intensify Border Patrols To Curtail Movements Of Militants (Xinhua)
- AMISOM Medical Staff Trained On Life-Saving Skills (AMISOM)
- Protecting Somalia’s Growing Mobile Money Consumers (World Bank)
NATIONAL MEDIA
House Of The People Speaker Hosts Southwest Presidential Aspirants Among Them, Mukhtar Robow
13 September – Source: Jowhar.com – 186 Words
The Speaker of the House of the People Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman received at his office seven aspirants, who are contesting to oust the current Southwest regional President, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan. The closed door meeting for the candidates and the Speaker took several hours. Among the issues discussed included the upcoming regional elections in November of this year.
Sources close to the meeting said Mursal requested the aspirants to make compromises among themselves and unite behind one of them in order to challenge the incumbent. Among the notable aspirants at the meeting were, former Finance minister under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud administration, Mohamed Aden Fargeeti and another former minister, Yusuf Moallin Baadiyow, who is a first cousin to the current Southwest President.
Also present was Mukhtar Robow, a former Al-Shabaab leader who is also believed to be interested in the top seat. The aspirants are expected to travel to Baidoa, the provisional capital of Southwest regional state, on Saturday to start their campaigns. It is believed the Federal Government of Somalia is backing an alternative candidate who can oust Sheikh Adan from the presidency.
Somali Forces Carry Out Massive Swoop In Capital After Car Bombings
13 September – Source: Shabelle Media – 117 Words
Somali police launched an operation in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, following recent two car bombs that struck local government offices in the city. The attacks claimed lives of at least 20 people. The security personnel was seen along main streets in the capital on Thursday morning, searching all public and private vehicles with a view to prevent further attacks by Al-Shabaab.
The police commanders are to comment on the swoop, which comes amid a surge in Al-Shabaab attacks in the city, which houses the Western-backed Somali government. Al-Shabaab was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 by Somali and AU troops following a joint offensive. However, the group has still been staging raids and assassinations in the city.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Kenya To Intensify Border Patrols To Curtail Movements Of Militants
12 September – Source: Xinhua – 341 Words
The Kenyan government said Wednesday it will recruit more Kenya Police Reservists (KPR) to help intensify patrols along the Somalia border. North Eastern regional commissioner Mohamed Birik told journalists that the reservists which normally complement Kenyan police efforts in community policing, will boost security along the porous border that the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terror group have been using to make incursions into the country.
“The reservists will greatly boost the strength of our security officers patrolling the porous border. They will closely work with the chiefs and their assistants on daily engagements,” Birik told journalists in Garissa. “Majority of those to be recruited are retired security officers who left the service with good track records. We shall thoroughly vet them,” he added. The regional government official said the reservists are among several measures the government wants to put in place to ‘secure’ the border and stop attacks perpetrated by the Al-Shabaab.
Birik urged the residents to continue volunteering information on suspicious characters within their midst. “We are not out of the woods yet. More needs to be done. I thank the people of this region for the support they have given to us of which we could not have made the gains we are proud of today,” he said. Somali militants have staged a string of attacks in Kenya, including April 2, 2015 massacre at Garissa University that left 148 students dead and a 2013 assault on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall that killed 67.
AMISOM Medical Staff Trained On Life-Saving Skills
13 September – Source: AMISOM – 479 Words
Medical officers serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have completed a two-day course to equip them with life-saving skills in the battlefield. The workshop, jointly organized by the United Nations Support Mission in Somalia (UNSOS) and AMISOM, was attended by 32 officers among them nurses, clinical officers and pharmacists.
The participants, comprising military and police officers, will coordinate similar trainings in the sectors to ensure more officers acquire life-saving skills. AMISOM Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Jim Besigye Owoyesigire, who opened the workshop on Monday, challenged the participants to orientate themselves with all types of casualties they are likely to encounter during the service in the Mission, “This workshop provides you with an opportunity to get proper orientation of all types of casualties that you’re going to be dealing with during your tour of duty,” Lt. Gen. Owoyesigire said.
The Force Commander asked the newly deployed officers to use the workshop to add value to their knowledge and skills to enable them implement the medical support plan for this Mission. “Take note of the lessons learnt especially the gaps and work towards producing a seamless medical support plan for the Mission as we prepare for the draw-down of the AMISOM troops,” Lt. Gen. Owoyesigire added.
OPINION, ANALYSIS & CULTURE
“Somalia’s mobile money services need to be adequately regulated before serving as a critical enabler for innovation and anchor of financial sector development. A digitized identification system and social protection mechanisms are just two of many examples where innovation backed by financial technology (fintech) can contribute to financial inclusion, equity and resilience.”
Protecting Somalia’s Growing Mobile Money Consumers
13 September – Source: World Bank – 518 Words
The mobile money market is booming in Somalia. Approximately 155 million transactions, worth $2.7 billion or 36% of gross domestic product (GDP), are recorded every month. Mobile money accounts for a high proportion of money supply in the domestic, dollarized economy and has superseded the use of cash; seven out of 10 of Somalis use mobile money services regularly.
The mass adoption of mobile money raises concerns about the magnitude of system vulnerabilities, and potential macroeconomic effects in cases of disruptions – with potentially serious implications on the wider economy. As we explore in the latest Somalia Economic Update (SEU), customers have no guarantee that their e-money can be redeemed for cash, as there is no parity requirement between monetary value held virtually on the mobile money wallets and physical funds held on deposit.
Know-your-customer (KYC) data used to identify clients and determining the risks of illegal intentions, is not systemically registered for mobile money wallets, and there are no formal frameworks to protect consumers in dispute cases. The lack of regulatory and supervisory oversight of mobile money services is a source of added concern.
Mobile money experiences, especially those concerning the protection of consumer rights, have been stifled throughout the reporting period. So how can Somali authorities protect consumers? The challenge for policymakers and regulators is how to introduce mobile money regulations on a market that has operated without regulatory oversight.
Ensuring stability and reliability of the mobile money system is a priority, focusing on safeguards for consumer funds, improving compliance and risk management, reducing opportunities for fraud, strengthening regulatory reporting, and protecting consumer data. In the Somalia Economic Update, we recommend a phased-in approach for regulating mobile money services. The top priority must be to safeguard consumer funds and ensure continued and undisrupted service delivery.
The second priority should be to strengthen service delivery via greater innovation, including stronger agent networks, internal controls, and holding providers responsible for agents. Once the protection of consumer funds and service delivery are guaranteed, it will be important to strengthen consumer protections, including data privacy, and create platforms for complaints and access to redress mechanisms.
TOP TWEETS
@HarunMaruf: US military conducts new airstrike in Mubarak village, Sept 11 killing 2 Al-Shababs and wounding 1.@USAfricaCommand says strike was in self-defense after US and partner (Somali) forces came under attack. Around same time, AS reported foiling US-Somali joint attack in the area.
@M_Farmaajo: As a witness and signatory to the South Sudan peace agreement today, I am hopeful that this pact will be implemented by all South Sudanese sides. Somalia will work closely with all partners in the pursuit of lasting peace, stability and development in the region.
@Goobjoognews: PRESIDENT MOHAMED Farmaajo holds talks with Somali State President Moustaf Omer in the sidelines of the IGAD Extraordinary Summit in Addis Ababa.
@HassanIstiila: Insecurity in Mogadishu and southern Somalia continues to pose significant risks to economic activity in the medium term. According to Somalia economic update report.#Somalia
@4rukun: In light of the positive momentum across our reform agendas,few days ago urged the Sanctions Committee to approach the region & Somalia with fresh eyes, to ensure the sanctions regime recognizes progress, goes after the spoilers nt the state builders, and is nt frozen in the past.
@Goobjoognews: An estimated 155 million mobile money transactions amounting to $2.7billion take place in #Somaliamonthly.
@4rukun: In June we began a program to biometrically register weapons to individual soldiers to better track weapons issued to security force personnel. Over 2,000 weapons have been registered to individual personnel, to enhance accountability & track the flow of weapons.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo at Inter-Governmental Authority for Development IGAD meeting. He also witnessed the signing of South Sudan peace agreement, in Addis Ababa, yesterday.
Photo: @M_Farmaajo