Day: February 14, 2023

Mogadishu – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Federal Government of Somalia launched today the Somalia project of the Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) to increase access to electricity and bring new development opportunities to rural communities while contributing to putting the country on a sustainable development path.

Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Africa Minigrids Program is a regional energy access program led by UNDP in partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the African Development Bank. The AMP works with 21 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to promote scaled-up investments in solar minigrids to increase access to sustainable, affordable energy while supporting climate action. The AMP Somalia project will be implemented by the UNDP Country Office in Somalia in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Energy and Water Resources and the private sector.

“Access to energy is a precondition to development, supporting livelihoods and powering essential services such as education and healthcare,’ said UNDP Resident Representative in Somalia Jocelyn Mason. And 65% of people don’t have access to electricity in Somalia. Yet the appalling drought we are experiencing now only underscores the importance of sustainable, green energy, and Somalia has the potential for plentiful supplies of solar and wind energy.”

Among communities with access to energy, many rely on costly and polluting diesel minigrid systems, owned and operated by an ecosystem of private Electricity Service Providers (ESPs). However, these vital energy service providers have limited access to finance from commercial and state-owned banks. This limits their ability to scale-up through the adoption of innovative models, such as Pay-As-You-Go, through which users pay only for what they consume.

The AMP Somalia project is tailored to the unique nature of the energy sector in Somalia, and as such aims to work with this existing ecosystem of ESPs to enable the hybridization of existing diesel minigrids and to make solar minigrids more competitive and affordable. To do so, it will focus on supporting digital technologies for clean energy and on the institutionalization of multiple initiatives already underway in the country.

“I am delighted that we are here today to expand efforts and cooperation in the Energy sector, because energy is at the centre of Somalia’s economic growth. The Somalia’s National Project under the GEF Africa Mini-grids Program will increase access to clean energy and improve service delivery. GEF and UNDP support will contribute to the achievements of targets envisaged in the power sector master plan.” — H.E. Jama Taqal, Federal Government of Somalia’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources.

Supporting minigrids’ digital transformation through innovative models such as Pay-As-You-Go will be key to promote investments. Institutionalizing capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and the financial mechanisms targeting the shift from diesel to solar technologies in the minigrid sector will help to ensure a durable change in the market.

The AMP Somalia project will start with pilot projects to demonstrate the viability of minigrid hybridization, which will provide electricity to 66,670 people, half of them women, while avoiding nearly 30,000 tCO2eq direct emissions. This will be the first step of the AMP approach in the country, which aims to catalyze a larger, durable transformation of the country’s energy system which will help the country close its energy access gap while enabling a 594,000 tCO2eq of indirect greenhouse gas emissions mitigation.

UNDP modelling estimates that minigrids are the least-cost option to provide electricity to 265 million people in the AMP’s 21 countries, for a total investment opportunity of $US 65 billion. This equates to the construction of 110,000 minigrids, powering 200,000 schools and hospitals and driving economic growth in the region by supporting 900,000 businesses.

Launched at the United Nations Climate Conference COP27 in November 2022, the AMP has

already started rolling out national projects in Nigeria, Eswatini, and Djibouti, with additional national projects to start implementation throughout the year.

Source: Somali National News Agency

Mogadishu, The Acting Minister and the State Minister of the Ministry of Planning, Investment and Economic Development of the Federal Government of Somalia, H.E Abdirashid Jire Kalinle together with Director of Sustainable Solution and Analysis, Sahra Abdi Mohamed today met with Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations for Refugees, Robert Piper and Heads of International Organisations (IOs).

The sides discussed the efforts put in assisting, and they agreed to accelerate existing mechanisms and efforts to address the situation in Somalia, and stressed speeding up the implementation of the existing strategies and finding a long-term and durable solution for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Source: Somali National News Agency

The Somali National Army with the support of the Galmudug State forces and local forces killed 10 Al-Shabaab militants and injured others after conducting planned operation against terrorists’ hideout at Qaycad area in Mudug region.

SNA Commander for the Infantry, Gen. Mohamed Tahlil Bihi confirmed to Somali National News Agency SONNA that the joint forces also siezed weapons during the operation, indicating the forces still pursue the terrorists fleeing.

Source: Somali National News Agency

DUBAI, flydubai, the Dubai-based airline, announced today the launch of a daily service to Mogadishu Aden Adde International Airport (MGQ) from 9th March 2023.

The carrier will double the frequency of flights from 1st June, 2023, making it the first carrier to connect Somalia directly with Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer at flydubai, said, “We continue to look for opportunities to grow our network in East Africa and open up underserved markets. This region has seen significant economic growth and development in recent years, our direct flights will further stimulate the economy and help create free flows of travel and trade.”

With the start of flights to Mogadishu, flydubai expands its network in Africa to 11 destinations, providing passengers from the UAE and the region with more convenient options for travel. This includes Addis Ababa, Alexandria, Asmara, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Entebbe, Hargeisa, Khartoum, Juba and Zanzibar.

Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent) at flydubai, said, “flydubai will offer convenient and reliable travel services between both countries. This route will be operated by our fleet of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, offering customers the comfort of our Business Class cabin or a more customised experience in Economy Class. We are looking forward to doubling our frequency to Somalia from 1st June, 2023 and further connecting the market to Dubai and beyond.”

Source: Somali National News Agency

Rome, The President of the Federal Government of Somalia, H.E Hassan Sheikh Mohamud participated in the 46th session of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Governing Council in Rome.

The President presented Somalia’s perspective on food security, the country’s richness in land and marine resources, and the tailored support it requires to overcome food and climate-related obstacles.

The President praised Sweden, Belgium, Italy and Germany for the role they played in the debt relief, while today’s forum analyzed the efforts of the Somali government to complete the debt relief process.

“The Somali people have responded to the government’s call to stand up for the eradication of terrorism, as the Somali Armed Forces, with the support of the local people, have succeeded in liberating many areas. The freed land includes a lot of agricultural land suitable for investment and cultivation, and we are hopeful that this can happen” President Mohamud said.

Also, the President presented ways the debts owed to our country, climate change and the lack of experience and techniques are obstacles to the development of the country’s agriculture, and he confirmed that the government is making efforts to develop the understanding and profitability of agriculture.

Source: Somali National News Agency