The three-day Somalia International Conference in London has yield a significant fruit for the warring nation as some world leaders in attendance have pledged to support Somalia’s new government and its security and economic reforms. However, the government has been tasked with using its support from citizens to deliver on its promises.
Somalia’s new government at the event got new pledges of more than $1.3 billion to help improve socio-political and economic stability in the country and free the country from the menace of the longest insurgency in the Horn of Africa – perpetrated by Al-shabaab.
With $27 million pledge, the United Kingdom has promised to provide training and mentoring support to the country’s army in order to revive and strengthen the security condition of the country.
Somalia’s biggest donor, the EU, also pledged that member states will this year invest $1.03 billion in Somalia, which will bring total support to $4.5 billion till 2020.
The European Union’s aid for Somalia includes support for the African Union Mission for Somalia (Amisom), salaries for police, development aid, and $596 million for humanitarian assistance to tackle the devastating effects of the drought.
In addition to these, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for an additional $900 million purposely to tackle the drought that has cause the nation seriously economic downside and gifted the nation increased poverty and famine. 30% of this money was immediately raised at the conference.
However, world leaders in attendance insisted that President Farmajo deliver on his promises and tasked him to start looking inward to source for human resource within the country as the AU military team (AMISOM) will not be in the country forever.
“We are proposing today a new Partnership for Somalia through which President Farmajo will commit to the development of an inclusive and federal democratic state – and the international community will back him with better targeted support for jobs and livelihoods that can drive economic recovery,” said UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
