Somaliland – As with most public institutions, Somaliland’s justice sector has suffered immense challenges in terms of physical structures and human capital. The clarification of roles and responsibilities of law-making bodies and strengthening of their institutional capacities, including the capacity to prioritise and draft legislations harmonised with existing laws, was identified as a priority area in the Somaliland Special Arrangement (SSA).

Through its Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) project titled “Strengthening Institutions through Diaspora Assistance in Somalia (MIDA-SIDA project)” funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM Somalia) placed one Somali diaspora expert to support the Somaliland’s Ministry of Justice (MOJ) in key organizational development thematic areas. The MOJ is one of the government institutions mandated to provide leadership, oversight and support in Somaliland’s Justice Sector.

MIDA Somalia’s Institution Development Expert trains Somaliland Ministry of Justice staff on the reviewed Monitoring and Evaluations policy. © IOM Somalia 2016 (Photo: Mohamed Mohamoud)MIDA Somalia’s Institution Development Expert trains Somaliland Ministry of Justice staff on the reviewed Monitoring and Evaluations policy. © IOM Somalia 2016 (Photo: Mohamed Mohamoud)

Following the needs assessment conducted at the beginning of the project, the support focused on the need to respond to the lack of proper guidelines and policies as well as the need to improve specific staff competencies, skills and techniques necessary for public service delivery. Some of the key areas supported by the expert include: development of relevant policy documents and guidelines such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); Human Resource Management policies; MoJ work plans and project plans; and drafting of procurement policies. IOM also supported the MoJ to establish and maintain an offline contacts database aimed at improving the relationship with ministry officials, experts in the legal fraternity, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) at large. The reviewed and updated policies which are yet to be approved by the management will improve the departmental functionalities of the Ministry.

To build the capacity of MoJ staff and ministry officials and facilitate public service delivery, the MIDA expert organised internal trainings and workshops and supported officials and staff in the completion of any pending tasks within their different units. Over 160 MoJ staff including 101 men and 59 women were trained and mentored by the expert. Results from the pre- and post-training evaluations of participants showed that majority of the participating staff (over 85 percent of them) were now able to effectively and efficiently carry out their functions with ease as compared to when they were joining the programme. The capacity building component further enhanced inter-departmental cooperation and collaboration across departments in other ministries. For instance, the department of Planning and Capacity Development in the Ministry of Planning works in collaboration with the MoJ in coordination efforts with development partner agencies and donors especially in Somaliland’s Justice Delivery sector.

For further information, please contact Frantz Celestin at IOM Somalia. Tel: +254700325063 Email: fcelestin@iom.int.