In brief
- On 2017-11-23 Goobjoog News reported Prime Minister Hassan Khaire saying the federal government would soon begin reconstructing government buildings and roads.
- The report names no budget, funder, implementing agency, contractor, tender, start date or completion date.
- Eight years on, the report does not establish whether any of the announced reconstruction was funded, contracted, started or completed.
On 23 November 2017, Goobjoog News reported that Somalia's federal government would soon begin reconstructing government buildings across the country and rebuilding roads. The announcement was attributed to Prime Minister Hassan Khaire, who the outlet said was addressing residents of Baidoa on Wednesday night.
The report records the PM saying his administration was determined to extend government services to many parts of the country, and that the government had gained international confidence for increased direct donor financing. It quotes him saying: "We expect to relaunch projects soon in the country among them building roads and government structures both at federal and regional levels."
Goobjoog also quoted the PM on the government's fiscal position, saying that in the 8 months in power it would reach December 2017 smoothly "as we are informed by IMF and the World Bank," and that the government had "managed to secure economic assistance that will be administered by the Somali government." Those are statements by the Prime Minister, not records of commitments, agreements or disbursements.
The same report places the Baidoa visit barely a week after a visit to Barawe, where the PM announced plans to revamp the port city and make it a viable business city. No date is given for the Barawe visit beyond that relative reference.
President Sharif Hassan Adan, the PM's host, is separately reported calling on the Federal Government to open the road connecting Baidoa and Mogadishu, saying Al-Shabaab fighters had been extorting levies from road users. Adan's remarks cover the road users' position: he is quoted saying people in Lower Shebelle are the worst affected because many cannot afford a flight to Mogadishu, asking the PM to address the matter "whether to use military or other means," and describing Lower Shebelle as sufficient for the whole country but troubled by anti-peace elements. The extortion claim and the characterisation of the region are Adan's assertions, not independently verified findings in the report.
What the report does not say
The report names no ministry, authority or other implementing agency for the announced reconstruction. It carries no budget, donor amount, currency or financing agreement. It records no tender, contract, contractor or consultant, and no procurement route. It gives no project names, locations or specifications for the roads and government structures, and no start date, timeline or completion date.
The IMF and World Bank are mentioned only as the PM's stated source of information. No document, programme or figure is cited, and the reference is not a programme, agreement or approval.
What happens next
What follows is a set of facts the announcement does not supply. For contractors and suppliers, the report points to an intended pipeline of roads and government structures at federal and regional levels. It does not identify the buying authority, the financing instrument, the procurement route or the sequence in which any of it would move.
Those gaps are the starting point for any tracking of the announcement: which authority would tender the work, with whose money, under what contract, and from what date.
Frequently asked questions
Which roads and buildings does the reconstruction cover?
The 2017-11-23 Goobjoog News report gives no project names, locations or specifications. It records the PM referring to roads and government structures at federal and regional levels, and separately to the Baidoa-Mogadishu road raised by South West president Sharif Hassan Adan.
How will the reconstruction be funded?
The report carries no budget, donor amount, currency or financing agreement. Prime Minister Hassan Khaire is quoted saying the government had gained international confidence for increased direct donor financing and had secured economic assistance to be administered by the Somali government. Those are statements, not commitments or disbursements.
What is the expected timeline?
None is stated. The report gives no start date, project timeline or completion date, and no implementing agency, tender or contract is identified.