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the subsequent discussion on the legal and constitutional framework sub-category in the
enabling environment category.
Financial Management
The capacity to allocate resources and plan effectively at both the national and local levels was
a less prominent issue for participants, but came out strongly in interviews as a major barrier to
the governing of the country. The lack of capacity to allocate resources based on need within
the central government was thought to have a major impact upon local governments, which feel
that the difference between “what is being asked from them by the government on one hand,
and the resources being allocated to doing their activities on the other is a joke,” in the words of
one local government participant. Another interviewee from the eastern part of the country
lamented the “unfair” allocation of government resources to areas where there was support for
the government’s independence “project.” One interviewee noted that: “When you don’t show
the right support for what the government wants, then you risk a low level of resources being
allocated to you.”
Relatedly, both participants and interviewees stressed a lack of data which can be used for
planning purposes and the need to continue the Ministry of Planning and Development’s current
efforts to undertake needs assessments in a number of localities. According to one ministry
official, “We don’t have the right information to make decisions about what is best for people. I
can give you some statistics but they will not be correct – we just don’t know.” Both obtaining
population and sector-specific data for planning purposes and building the government’s
statistical capacity in the longer-term are relevant priorities here.
Internal Systems and Procedures
In addition, interviewees also highlighted a lack of established internal systems and procedures
for “getting things done” as a major problem within ministries. “Even with the best plans, if
there is no guidance for how to approach implementation and everything is done in an ad-hoc
manner then things become very difficult,” reported one ministry official during the workshop
discussion. Another official highlighted the need to focus on establishing systems and
procedures at the central government level before expecting local government to deliver
services on any grand scale, “If the central ministry does not know how to get things done, how
can the local government?”
Enabling Environment – Medium Priority
This category was the second highest priority of participants at the executive workshop, and in
both workshop discussions was understood to be inextricably linked to both internal
organizational capacity and management and effective service delivery, thereby making
distinctions difficult in some cases.
International Relations
The international relations sub-category was the major priority for participants, with
international recognition for Somaliland being ranked the top priority change almost
unanimously. This change was understood to be central to the receipt of aid, with one
participant commenting that “without being recognized as a sovereign and legitimate
government we will not receive the support we need to lay the proper foundations of
government – it is a chicken-and-egg situation.” In addition, international recognition could
