By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – Hitherto free flowing rain waters are expected to start benefitting residents in the rural areas of Somaliland.
The turn of events is courtesy of a $1m World Bank grant availed the ministry of environment and rural development towards a water supply enhancement program that targets livestock and agricultural farmers as well as residents within areas of implementation.
This was revealed during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony between the World Bank and government of Somaliland held at the Ambassador hotel in Hargeisa where it was also revealed that the $1m grant is for an initial pilot project whose success shall result in a scale up.
Signatories to the grant were the World Bank country representative Mr. Hugh Riddell and the minister of Finance Zamzam Abdi Aden jointly with minister of Environment and rural development Shukri Haji Bandare for the government of Somaliland.
The mark to the grant MOU was witnessed by the world bank resident senior Water & Sanitation specialist Chantal Richey and a Somaliland government team composed of presidency minister Hirsi Haji Ali and his Agriculture colleague Dr Mohamed Aw Dahir as well as state minister for finance Osman Abdilahi Sahardiid.
“We at the World Bank are very pleased in putting pen to paper to this MOU that shall facilitate implementation of the rural water supply enhancement program by the government of Somaliland” said Hugh Riddell who also revealed that the initial grant of $1m has been earmarked for a pilot project whose success shall scale up the bank’s support.
While informing that the grant shall be channeled through the ministry of finance which shall act as conduit to the program’s implementation lead agency , The world bank country representative also stressed on the imperatives of speedy ratification of the Public Finance Management-PFM policies thence make it legal for the grant to be passed directly to finance ministry.
According to minister of Finance Zamzam Abdi Aden the council of ministers has already approved the PFM which is currently pending presidential approval and subsequent dispatch to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, for endorsement.
Minister Zamzam who extended gratitude’s to the World Bank on behalf of the government and people of Somaliland also pledged her ministry’s diligence in its assigned mandate of grant conduit between the bank and ministry of environment and rural development which is the programs’ lead implementer.
Tough her ministry has been designated as the lead agency of the rural water enhancement program minister Shukri Haji Bandare informed that the ministries of Agriculture and water development are main co-implementers.
“Thankfully the government is now able to harness lots of wasted rain waters courtesy of the World bank “said Minister Bandare as she disclosed that the pilot project shall see a number of water catchment facilities established within valleys where rain water flows untapped all the way from source to the Indian ocean while residents, farms and livestock in adjourning lands go thirsty.
Whole stating that negotiations that concluded with the MOU signing took almost a year and originated after the world bank observed the financial challenges facing the state’s water sector development an optimistic Minister Bandare said the pilot project shall climax similar success thence an assuredly intervention scale up from the global body based in Washington DC.
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