By Mohamed Dahir Ahmed
One of the somber issues facing Somaliland is youth unemployment and finding appropriate mechanisms for job creation. Everyone of us knows the job creation potential of Berbera cement factory, but have you ever asked yourself, why we didn’t utilize such a golden opportunity to create jobs for our youth?. Successive attempts to kick start this sterling project have not succeeded, why?, because one thing was missing, and that is the natural resource utilization act?. Come, Mr. Irro you want to get vote from Somaliland youth, but you failed to initiate the natural resource utilization bill and bring in front of the parliamentarians either to approve or diapprove,but rather you were busy for your personal political enrichment. Berbera cement factory and related industries such as Ceramics and Paint can create jobs upto four thousand Somaliland youth. It has also other economic multiplier effect, which can creat economic growth and ultimately result additional jobs for the youth.
The other sector which has the job creation potential is financial services sector, including banking, insurance and real-estate. The house led by Honorable Abdurrahman Irro,failed to initiate bills related with this sector longe time ago by giving them fast track approval processes, since they could have helped us to mitigate the serious issues of youth unemployment.
The house totally ignored their legislative power to initiate bills, which can facilitate and make easier to kick start mega projets which has huge potential job creation effect. A case in point, the oil exploration operation in the eastern regions of Somaliland led by Genel energy met a stiff resistance from the host community and ultimately suspended their operations, why?, because natural resource laws of the country were not in place, which can clearly pinpoint the rights of the local communities, the rights of the exploring companies, as well as methods of sharing beneficial outcomes of such projects.
Wadani Chairman, who also is the speaker of the House of Representatives is not an outsider but was part of the establishment. He facilitated many things for the executive branch of the government by ignoring the check and balance, expected from him and the house.
