September 5, 2018 | Morning Headlines
President Farmajo Invites African States To Invest In Somalia
04 September – Source: Caasimada Media – 197 Words
Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has said all investors could benefit from great opportunities of his country’s untapped resources and human capital. President Farmaajo said tremendous progress had so far been made by his government towards achieving peace, security, stability and development in Somalia. He invited fellow African heads of states to invest in his country, adding that Somalia was committed to help investors realize their business objectives.
Farmaajo, who was speaking at the Forum On China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, congratulated China’s President Xi Jinping on his exemplary reforms record and his government’s policies in leading China towards new and greater progress: “Africa and Somalia can learn much from Chinese successes and this can be achieved “through platforms such as FOCAC which promotes knowledge and experience”, he said.
President Farmajo reiterated his government’s support for the Beijing event: “Somalia supports the adoption of the joint declaration on “Building a Closer Community with a shared future between China and Africa” and the Beijing Action Plan of FOCAC”, he noted. He concluded his speech by reminding his audience the importance of partnership and cooperation in achieving the common goals of progress and prosperity for both Africa and China.
Key Headlines
- President Farmajo Invites African States To Invest In Somalia (Caasimada Media)
- Inter-State Council Conference Kicks Off In Kismayu (Halbeeg News)
- Somali Regional Leaders Asked To Boost Cooperation (Mareeg online)
- Somalia’s Envoy To EU Urges Govt To Speak Up As Contractor Moves To Court (Goobjoog News)
- Five Lamu Schools Remain Closed Over Al-Shabaab Lack Of Teachers (Daily Nation)
- Corruption In Government Continues Unabated- Report (Goobjoog News)
NATIONAL MEDIA
Inter-State Council Conference Kicks Off In Kismayo
04 September – Source: Halbeeg News – 94 Words
A meeting for regional leaders kicked off in Kismayo amid tightened security in the city. Security officers cordoned off the meeting venue as well as all roads leading to the conference hall.
According to reports, several sideline meetings have been ongoing since Sunday ahead of the main conference on Tuesday morning. Some of the major points that were set for discussion in the conference included security and the upcoming elections expected to be held in some of regional states. Other issues were, formation and reintegration of Somali forces and resources sharing among others.
Somali Regional Leaders Asked To Boost Cooperation
04 September – Source: Mareeg Online – 287 Words
“Somalia’s enormous potential will not be realised unless there is stability.” This was the key message of the United Nations envoy to Somalia, Mr Michael Keating, at a gathering of leaders from the country’s Federal Member States.
Held in the southern port city of Kismayo, the meeting of the Council of Inter-state Cooperation (CIC) brought together the presidents of Puntland, HirShabelle, Galmudug and South West states, as well as Jubaland, of which Kismayo is the capital.
Addressing the gathering, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia encouraged the state leaders to strengthen cooperation between their governments and the federal authorities, noting how doing so can create stable conditions beneficial to all Somalis.
Mr. Keating listed the areas in which action was needed to achieve this goal. They included tangible progress in building security forces that are both capable and trusted, adopting a justice model, clarifying constitutional arrangements and power-sharing arrangements, passing an electoral law, and increasing revenues on the basis of resource- and revenue-sharing agreements.
“Without these, all Somalis stand to lose – with them, everybody wins, including the millions of people who deserve a better quality of life,” the UN envoy said. “Success depends upon trust between and collective action by the federal government and Federal Member States.”
The Special Representative emphasized that the meeting in Kismayo provided an opportunity to move things forward in the right direction. Mr. Keating was also due to hold one-on-one meetings with each of the state leaders – Presidents Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas of Puntland, Ahmed Duale Gelle of Galmudug, Mohamed Abdi Ware of Hirshabelle, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden of South West State and, the gathering’s host, Sheikh Ahmed Madobe of Jubaland – to discuss issues pertinent to each state.
Somalia’s Envoy To EU Urges Govt To Speak Up As Contractor Moves To Court
04 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 261 Words
Somalia’s ambassador to the EU Ali Faqi has urged the Federal Government to act swiftly to avert what he termed as ‘damage to its reputation’ following an impending international court case by a Cypriot company over failure by the Horn of Africa nation to honour a contract it entered into in 2013.
“I want the government to take a legal position on this matter,” Faqi told Goobjoog News. “The court case will damage the reputation of the country.” Faqi’s remarks followed a notification by contractor AMOSC to the court in Rotterdam Netherlands Monday on intention to sue Somalia for a coast guard deal billed at 132 million euros which has since attracted a 24.6 million euro interest from July 29, 2013 to March 2018.
Amo Shipping Company (AMOSC) which entered into the contract with then President Hassan Sheikh administration said Monday it had delivered a Notice of Arbitration to the court. According to the Contract, Transport and Maritime Arbitration Rotterdam-Amsterdam (TAMARA) the parties settled for TAMARA for arbitration.
Faqi confirmed to Goobjoog News the existence of the contract which the government has indicated it no longer exists. The Financial Governance Committee chaired by the Finance Minister and draws membership form among others the office of the PM, President, Auditor General and the World Bank, IMF and African Development Bank indicated in this year’s report that the AMOSC contract ‘did not proceed’. It earlier said (2016/17) it had received assurance from the Defence Ministry whose docket the contract fell that AMOSC ‘held no expectations’ and in effect the contract was void.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
Five Lamu Schools Remain Closed Over Al-Shabaab, Lack Of Teachers
03 September – Source: Daily Nation – 503 Words
Five primary schools in terror-prone Basuba Ward, Lamu East, have remained closed despite the beginning of the third term a week ago. Basuba, Milimani, Mangai, Mararani and Kiangwe schools, all of which are within areas earmarked for the ongoing multi-agency Linda Boni security operation, have not been opened due to the insecurity brought on by al Shabaab terrorists.
The five primary schools in the region were shut in 2015 after teachers fled, saying the militants had threatened them directly. A spot check by the Nation found that they were still closed but that ECDE centres were in operation. Parents who were interviewed said they are frustrated as their children are at home while their peers are studying.
The Lamu county government has made efforts to transfer at least 260 of the Boni pupils to the safer Mokowe Arid Zone Primary School in Lamu West but another challenge is that of a shortage of teachers. The Mokowe school, which has both day and boarding sections, was established in 1992 by the World Bank, mainly as a place of refuge and the education of children from the Boni and Sanye minority communities
Mokowe head teacher Omar Ile cited challenges including lack of teachers and infrastructure to accommodate the ever-increasing number of pupils. “The number of pupils, especially those from the minority Boni community, keeps growing but the teachers are few. We need two to three extra teachers so pupils can learn comfortably,” said Mr Ile. Parents said it is time to establish a common education centre in Basuba since the five schools have remained shut. Mr Musa Msuo said the recent IED attacks at Sankuri and Bodhei, which left at least 11 Kenya Defence Forces soldiers dead and tens injured, “completely dashed” hopes of reopening the institutions. He said it is only at education centres that their children will learn uninterrupted.
“We have no hope that our schools will be reopened. With the recent terror attacks on KDF vehicles, matters have become worse. We want our children to carry on with learning like the rest of their counterparts countrywide,” Mr Msuo said.
OPINION, ANALYSIS AND CULTURE
“The report urges the government to work on creating constitutional bodies as mandated by the constitution, enshrine wealth declaration into law and fire and prosecute individuals implicated in corruption”
Corruption In Government Continues Unabated- Report
04 September – Source: Goobjoog News – 430 Words
Corruption in government remains pervasive with no political will to fight it despite a litany of promises, an anti-corruption watchdog has said noting the government could be losing up to $20 million annually to graft cartels. The 2018 State of Accountability report released Monday by the anti-graft watchdog Marqaati notes that President Mohamed Farmaajo’s administration has not made any tangible progress to stem corruption in government as cartels continue unabated.
The report notes that the government has not only failed to curb corruption in various ministries and departments but also failed to put in place constitutionally mandated organs to fight graft such as the Judicial Service Commission, Constitutional Court and Anti-Corruption Commission. Instead, the report says, the current administration has emasculated key state organs such as parliament and the judiciary and also accused President Farmaajo’s administration of attempts to singularly rewrite the constitution with the intent of frustrating the federalisation process.
The Ministries of Interior and Defense stand out as most corrupt, the report indicates citing systemic corruption in the police, Criminal Investigations Department, Somali National Army, Department of Immigration and the intelligence agency, NISA. “The rate of reporting has been the same throughout this period suggesting that nothing has changed,” Marqaati director Mohamed Mubarak told Goobjoog News. The watchdog uses an Accountability Feedback Mechanism which enables members of the public to report cases of corruption in government. Based on the conduct of President Farmaajo government, Mubarak said, nothing indicates that they are interested in combating graft.
The report cites several incidents of corrupt practices in ministries and departments. In one case, the report alleges that the Ministry of Commerce subcontracted the printing of business licenses to a third party which charges an extra $100 printing fee besides the mandated $300 by the ministry. The Banaadir Regional Administration (BRA) has also come in the spotlight with the report noting the city administration’s revenues is used ‘to maintain support for the administration’ (Federal Government) at the parliament.