Puntland, Somalia’s northeasterly semi-autonomous region, is blessed with an abundant wealth of natural resources, but its most valuable resource is the region’s people. While no one can deny that the resources that Puntland possesses, such as oil, minerals, livestock, and marine life, are abundant beyond imagining, one resource that is being underutilized are the diaspora of Puntland. The Puntland diaspora has among its ranks a tremendous number of skilled people and strong community-based organizations.
After just skimming through the latest developments reported on Puntland-based websites, one immediately notices the single resource that is being least developed; the massive diaspora. While the current Puntland administration has made tremendous improvements from previous administrations in terms of reaching out to the communities abroad, in my humble opinion the outreach has failed to yield the desired result; a huge invest from the diaspora.
Thus, it is important to understand as to why the current outreach has failed and why the Puntland diaspora is not rushing back to invest in the major cities of the region, such as Galkacyo, Garowe, Qardho, and Bosaso. In order for Puntland to benefit from her sons and daughters, the current administration and future ones need to create and sustain a special department that is responsible for connecting the diaspora to the homeland. In other words, the Puntland government needs a department whose sole objective is to attract Puntland natives living abroad to invest and live in the region.
One of the tools that the current administration can use to lure the Puntland diaspora back is to create a government ministry that is solely responsible for informing the communities living abroad about the opportunities available in Puntland. However, in order for this department to be successful it requires a dedicated committee that is educated in the social sciences and more importantly a committee that is active in their respective communities at home or abroad.
Furthermore, the committee should strive to have functioning offices in the diaspora if it is to be successful. One of the reasons for the current failure is the lack of physical locations (i.e. offices) where potential investors can go to get vital information about Puntland. Another thing that the department ought to do once it picks up steam, is to hold seminars bringing the diaspora out and informing them of the projects that are currently taking place in Puntland as well as existing institutions they can utilize such as banks, in order to maximize their investment and involvement potential.
While the success of Puntland is a shared responsibility, the Puntland government needs to take steps to connect Puntland natives living abroad to the home front. While it is true that there are many ways to get Puntland natives to invest in their homeland, having a separate department that is solely responsible for connecting the diaspora is not only a step in the right direction, but also gives Puntland natives an institution that keeps them well informed and a means to communicate with leading figures in the region. It is important that the government utilizes the asset that is not being fully developed in order for Puntland to compete in the Horn of Africa and beyond.
Sugule Abdi, Contributor
http://dissidentnation.com/puntlands-un ... ed-assets/
