Japan Renews Commitment to Somalia by Resuming Direct Aid
Yokahoma May 31, 2013 (SDN) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe renewed Japan’s commitment to supporting Somalia’s nation-building efforts Friday, saying Tokyo will resume direct aid to the East African nation that is seeking to revive its economy and government following two decades of civil strife and political turmoil. At a special meeting in Yokohama dedicated to discussing issues confronting Somalia, Abe said Japan’s new assistance to the country will focus on enhancing its socio-economic conditions, maintaining law and order, and invigorating the country’s fragile industries. “The stability of Somalia is important for the stability and prosperity of East Africa and indispensible for solving Somalia’s piracy problem fundamentally and ensuring the safety of one of the world’s major sea arteries, which connects the Indian Ocean with the Red and Mediterranean seas,” Abe told participants. The one-day meeting, held on the sidelines of a conference on African development involving leaders mostly from the continent that will take place from Saturday through Monday, also drew dignitaries such as Somali President Hassan Sheik Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. In his remarks, Mohamud expressed his determination to strengthen the resilience of Somali society by securing cooperation from the people of Somalia and assistance from the international community. Noting that the country is moving from a humanitarian assistance phase to reconstruction, Mohamud said Mogadishu will focus on establishing the rule of law, meeting such basic needs as food, water and shelter, and strengthening the practice of good governance. Somalia will also strive to nurture its private sector and draw in more foreign investment to undertake economic reconstruction, he added. Participants from other countries stressed that Somalia’s socio-economic development would go hand in hand with law and order in the country, with representatives of Kenya, Egypt and South Africa saying the countries are working to boost Somalia’s capacity for delivery of public services. In his remarks, Abe said that on top of Japan’s pledge in March to disburse $55.4 million in aid to Somalia through various international organizations, Japan has decided to resume direct aid to the Horn of Africa country in a bid to “contribute to Somalia’s nation-building in earnest.”
Japan will also help create employment for young Somalis by nurturing fisheries and other industries in Somalia, with the hope of invigorating bilateral trade and investment in the future, he added. Earlier Friday, Abe also held bilateral talks with Mohamud in the Japanese port city. In Somalia, which descended into civil war in 1991, a new government was finally established when Mohamud was installed as the country’s president in September last year. He is the first Somali leader to attend the Africa development meeting, known as the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which began 20 years ago and is co-organized by Japan and international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank.
Source: Globalpost