The U.S. Agency for International Development’s Partnership for Economic Growth was launched today in Hargeisa. The Partnership is working with Somalis to improve the environment for investment and expand economic opportunities. “We believe in the resiliency and entrepreneurial
spirit of the Somali people,” said Acting USAID East Africa Mission Director, John Power. “This partnership will not only benefit the local economy, but will also promote stability.”
Engineer services generator at one of Hargeisa’s private suppliers of electricity.
Partnership for Economic Growth will work with a broad range of government authorities and private sector to assess strengths, weaknesses and investment opportunities in the most productive Somali value chains, including livestock, fisheries and gums and resins. The Partnership will improve access to business development services, especially for women entrepreneurs. It will support the development of regulatory policies to do business better and ultimately attract more investment.
In today’s launch ceremony, representatives from the Ministries of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, financial institutions, private sector, women entrepreneurs and local associations attended. “The private sector is the pillar of the economy,” said Abdulahi Dirie Jama, Secretary General of the Chamber of Commerce. “It is a source of revenue for the government and a major supplier of livelihood for residents.”
For more information, please contact: partnership4econgrowth@hotmail.com or
Marybeth McKeever, mmckeever@usaid.gov