This was published on the editorial site of their aid agency.
In Gara'ad in central Somalia, where hijacked ships were previously at anchor, a jetty is currently being built out to sea. The local people behind the project, with good support from the transnational Somali diaspora, have put all their efforts into building a port on the Indian Ocean. They hope it will revolutionize the area's economy and access to regional and international markets. So far, $ 58 million has been invested in the project - without financial support from the federal government in Mogadishu, international partners in Somalia, the EU or Norway.
One has to ask oneself where the aid country, the fishing nation and the shipping superpower Norway will be when there is now a historic business investment along Somalia's 'forgotten' pirate coast?
Norwegian aid kroner, in the billions, is 'invested' in Somalia. But the multi-digit amounts often reach no further than the capital Mogadishu. In an interview with Bistandsaktuelt from 27 October 2020 , the leader of the evaluation work for Norwegian aid to Somalia, Erik Bryld, describes Norway's results as 'at best variable'.
Distrust and conflict between Farmajo's government and the political opposition inside and outside Mogadishu means that aid money late to the capital rarely contributes to development and business investment in the semi-autonomous areas, and even less so along the coast.
Historically, this is the first time that significant port infrastructure has been built between Mogadishu and the entrance to the Gulf of Aden at Cape Guardafui. But the port project in Gara'ad is particularly unique because it is funded through contributions from the local population and the Somali diaspora.
The leader of the evaluation work for Norwegian development assistance to Somalia describes the results of Norwegian development assistance efforts as 'at best variable'. For example, the FAO's fisheries project in Somalia, where Norway has been a contributor, has not delivered expected results, according to Bryld.
Norwegian development assistance can to a far greater extent be directed towards projects that contribute to directly strengthening fisheries and the coastal economy, and should specifically be directed towards infrastructure projects. Outside Mogadishu, the Somali coast is still severely underdeveloped.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' new partner country strategy for Somalia (2021-2023) mentions the Norwegian-Somali diaspora as a specific resource that should be utilized to a greater extent in relation to Norway's involvement in Somalia.
In Gara'ad in the Mudug region, the local population, supported by the Somali diaspora, is in the process of developing the first port on Somalia's central and northern east coast - or in good Norwegian, the first and only quayside between Hvaler in Ytre Oslofjord and the fishing village Kvaløya in Nordland. Food for thought.
In Gara'ad in central Somalia, where hijacked ships were previously at anchor, a jetty is currently being built out to sea. The local people behind the project, with good support from the transnational Somali diaspora, have put all their efforts into building a port on the Indian Ocean. They hope it will revolutionize the area's economy and access to regional and international markets. So far, $ 58 million has been invested in the project - without financial support from the federal government in Mogadishu, international partners in Somalia, the EU or Norway.
One has to ask oneself where the aid country, the fishing nation and the shipping superpower Norway will be when there is now a historic business investment along Somalia's 'forgotten' pirate coast?
Norwegian aid kroner, in the billions, is 'invested' in Somalia. But the multi-digit amounts often reach no further than the capital Mogadishu. In an interview with Bistandsaktuelt from 27 October 2020 , the leader of the evaluation work for Norwegian aid to Somalia, Erik Bryld, describes Norway's results as 'at best variable'.
Distrust and conflict between Farmajo's government and the political opposition inside and outside Mogadishu means that aid money late to the capital rarely contributes to development and business investment in the semi-autonomous areas, and even less so along the coast.
Historically, this is the first time that significant port infrastructure has been built between Mogadishu and the entrance to the Gulf of Aden at Cape Guardafui. But the port project in Gara'ad is particularly unique because it is funded through contributions from the local population and the Somali diaspora.
The leader of the evaluation work for Norwegian development assistance to Somalia describes the results of Norwegian development assistance efforts as 'at best variable'. For example, the FAO's fisheries project in Somalia, where Norway has been a contributor, has not delivered expected results, according to Bryld.
Norwegian development assistance can to a far greater extent be directed towards projects that contribute to directly strengthening fisheries and the coastal economy, and should specifically be directed towards infrastructure projects. Outside Mogadishu, the Somali coast is still severely underdeveloped.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' new partner country strategy for Somalia (2021-2023) mentions the Norwegian-Somali diaspora as a specific resource that should be utilized to a greater extent in relation to Norway's involvement in Somalia.
In Gara'ad in the Mudug region, the local population, supported by the Somali diaspora, is in the process of developing the first port on Somalia's central and northern east coast - or in good Norwegian, the first and only quayside between Hvaler in Ytre Oslofjord and the fishing village Kvaløya in Nordland. Food for thought.
