Somalia mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:
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mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;color:#1F497D;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">– On 16-17 April the Immigration and Naturalization Directorate of the Federal Republic of Somalia held an Induction Training and Ceremony in Mogadishu to welcome 14 interns to its offices throughout the country. During the training the interns were introduced to the Minister of Security and Director of Immigration and Naturalization (IND) and provided with an orientation of the Directorate’s mandate and responsibilities for the country’s immigration and border management.

During the induction, the Minister of Internal Security, HE Mohamed Abukar Islow (Duale) told the interns, “You are the asset and future of the country and you will be the Officers and Directors of tomorrow’s IND.”

The interns, all of whom are recent university graduates, have been placed throughout the country; assigned to offices located in the regions of Benadir, Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubbaland, and Southwest. With the support of the Kingdom of Norway, they are part of an IOM project to support overall institutional capacity building in immigration and border management.

The intern initiative promotes transfer of knowledge and skills to Somali graduates seeking to contribute to the Somali Government, while encouraging sustainability and continuity of efforts. For the Immigration and Naturalization Directorate, the areas of critical need in terms of capacity development mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:
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mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">–  and, therefore, how positions were identified mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:
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mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">– included Human Resources, Finance Management, Information Technology and Law.

The DG of IND, Moahmed Aden Jimale, pointed to the benefits of the initiative. “This IOM project promotes graduates to stay in their country and help in the rebuilding future of the youth."

The intern programme also complements the findings of an Institutional Assessment conducted in 2015 by IOM, with the support of the Kingdom of Norway. The assessment outlined capacity gaps in the above areas in terms of staffing and technical knowledge. 

The interns are placed through IOM’s Migration for Development in Africa (MIDA) programme; however, the Directorate itself was responsible for the hiring process. The IOM intern programme has a current retention rate of 65 percent in Somalia – meaning, individuals who go through the programme are hired directly after their placements either by their internship employers or in a related field. The programme is also in line with the Federal Republic of Somalia’s priority of youth employment as per its National Development Plan.

For further information please contact IBM Programme Manager at IOM Somalia, nroberts@iom.int