Mr. President, your speech before the international forum in Djibouti was impressive and informative. It was a historic speech which significantly elevated you above your predecessors. I am also congratulating the members of the delegation for their ability to negotiate with the other party and their firm and insistence on the issues in question. Furthermore, we must appreciate Ismail Omer Gaileh, the president of Djibouti for his effort to bring Somaliland, Somalia, Ethiopia, American representatives, European representatives and other organizations together.
Notwithstanding your notable performance in Djibouti, the country is suffering from economic depression and political crisis under your administration. There is an urgent need to address the alarming unemployment among the youth. It has been estimated that approximately ninety percent (90%) of the young people between the ages of 20 and 35 are jobless coupled with skyrocketing cost of living.
The press and the media are awash with stories that serious crimes, such as theft, robbery, drugs and alcohol are on the rise. Most of these crimes occur right in the center of the capital of the nation where the innocent and defenseless citizens worry for their lives. The perpetrators are desperate, hopeless and poor jobless youth and the Somaliland economy is not growing at fast rate to absorb the unemployment youth.
Therefore, I recommend you to consider abolishing the ineffective Ministry of Commerce and replace with an independent agency which can empower the Somaliland’s job creators, the small businesses with highly targeted Micro-loan Programs, Guarantee loan program and international trade functions. This will stimulate the private sector to increase productivity, create new jobs and increase the tax base. The agency will have a mission of building a financially inclusive world by giving people tools they need to improve their lives.
By: Hussein A. Mohamed
