Hargeisa, Somaliland, 27 July 2022 – As part of its mandate to deliver capacity building to local officials to enhance delivery of equitable social services, UN-Habitat and partners this month provided training for dozens of local officials.

The five-day training to 97 mayors and deputy mayors were delivered under the Joint Programme on Local Governance and decentralization (JPLG) in partnership with Somaliland’s Ministry of Interior.

The Local Leadership Management (LLM) training was delivered in Hargeisa, Burao and Borama, three separate districts of Somaliland. The goal is to make local governments effective sub-national structures which are able to deliver basic social services.

“This training provided a detailed overview of key functions of an elected local councilor. These included policy development, financial management, conflict resolution, community empowerment and institutional development, to mention a few. The training is primarily intended for elected local councilors and key municipal staff.,” said Abdirahman Mahmoud, UN-Habitat, JPLG Programme Manager

Somaliland Minister of Interior Mohamed Kahin Ahmed, who officially opened the training in Hargeisa, urged the participants to capitalize on the training and use that experience, knowledge and skills to accelerate the achievement of better services to the citizens they serve.

“Other than capacity building, this training offers a platform for experience sharing having brought together, in one room, almost all local councilors across Somaliland,” he said.

The Mayor of Hargeisa, Abdikarim Ahmed Mooge, also challenged the participants to be attentive and learn as the task of the municipalities is a new experience to most of the elected councilors, while also appreciating UN-Habitat and JPLG for continuously equipping new officials who take up municipal roles.

 “From this training, I learnt some of my responsibilities as an elected councilor being; coordinating and supporting the creation of an enabling environment for sustained economic growth and development, said Mr. Mohamed Hirsi Ahmed, a councilor from Buroa local council.

“It is also my job, and that of my fellow of elected local councils to plan, deliver and improve equitable access to social services and infrastructure,” he added

The program is jointly delivered by UN-Habitat, UNDP, UNICEF, ILO and UNCDF and is funded by Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Holland and the EU.