New Headquarters Improves Service Delivery by Somaliland’s Ministry of Interior

January 05, 2016

An effort that began in 2011 recently came to fruition in Somaliland at the end of 2015 with the handover of a newly constructed facility to house the 145 employees who work for the region’s Ministry of Interior.

As part of a Transition Initiatives for Stabilization (TIS)-led activity, the Ministry and the community in Hargeisa together identified and prioritized the construction of the new headquarters in assist in strengthening governance, stability, and peace—and to promote better relations between the government and citizens. TIS, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and led by DAI, facilitated construction in May 2011.

The Ministry of Interior is the national entity responsible for policing, national security, and immigration. Previously, the Ministry’s building was too old and too small. Ministry Director General Abdifatah Mohamed said, “The Ministry of Interior is composed of six departments and being one of the key ministries in the country, we needed a large, conducive working office.”

Minister of Interior Ali Mohamed Warancade said, “The Ministry is tasked with managing internal security, conflicts, and civil registrations. The Ministry operated in an old building, which was a challenge in service delivery and performance.”

The new two-story building contains 36 well-furnished offices. At an event attended by 400 people to hand over the facility, Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud said, “Thanks USAID who funded this building. Our government is committed in building the nation and strengthening peace and stability.” Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Somalia central government, recently experienced a democratic election and made significant progress in establishing structures that serve as the foundation of a decentralization of governance.

USAID TIS has built or rehabilitated and supported more than 45 local and regional administrations buildings which serve more than 1.5 million citizens across Somalia with the goal of enhancing public confidence in the government’s service delivery and enabling communities to strengthen their own peace-building initiatives.