The economic sector has been devastated by the civil war, and the legacy of under-investment in the productive sectors continues unabated. Government interventions during the transitional period will require addressing not only immediate issues of recovery, but also the structural factors of under-investment and unregulated nature of the sector, which have been exacerbated by the statelessness.

Challenges

• Saudi Arabian ban on Somali livestock importation
• Poor veterinary services
• Collapse of agriculture infrastructure
• Insufficient food production
• Illegal and inappropriate fishing practices
• Dearth of infrastructure for fishing
• Deforestation and charcoal exportation
• Dumping of toxic waste in Somali territorial waters
• Low quality and exploitative pricing of imported basic commodities
• Waste of agricultural products and other natural resources
• Unregulated private sector
• Destruction of economic infrastructure

Recommendations

• Invest heavily in job creation to sustain the peace process
• Explore new markets for livestock and establish internationally recognized animal health export certification
• Revive veterinary delivery services
• Rehabilitate and reconstruct agricultural infrastructure
• Improve agricultural inputs and supply, and develop appropriate technology transfer services
• Re-introduce regulatory mechanism for the fishing sector
• Ensure international support for marine protection, and monitoring and prevention of illegal fishing off the coast of Somalia
• Develop effective infrastructure for fishing communities
• Ban charcoal exportation and introduce tree planting practices among rural communities
• Introduce regulatory mechanisms for quality control of imported commodities
• Encourage the private sector to invest in the local industries
• Introduce basic regulations for the private sector without stifling the booming entrepreneurship of the Somali people