The United States is proud to support the people and government of Somalia as
they seek to create a better tomorrow, including through economic development
and job creation.
The United States is committed to providing up to $74 million in
investment for these programs. This week, U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Donald
Y. Yamamoto visited with the Somali companies and owners that are beneficiaries
of U.S. support through the USAID GEEL program. (GEEL stands for Growth,
Enterprise, Employment and Livelihoods.) During his visit, the Ambassador
stated: “The United States is back and is pleased to support Somali job creation
activities. And we are pleased to hear that Somalia is ‘Open for Business’ through
GEEL support.” Success stories of U.S. economic development assistance are
described below.
Summary:
Habo Tuna Canning Factory, presently directly employs 160 people and buys
seafood from over 2,000 fishermen. With USAID support, the company was able
to revive and expand its operations. Starting in late 2017, Habo purchased over
$500,000 worth of tuna from local fishermen. This has had a huge impact on the
local economy, and local fishers are returning to fishing. This season, the
additional USAID co-funded blast freezers will allow Habo to produce more than
40,000 cans of tuna, an estimated $2 million value, and plan on hiring 40% more
people to work in their factory.
Horn Gardens is one example of how USAID is partnering with a Somali
business leader with a vision to help that vision become a reality. Horn Gardens
has gone from a single greenhouse to become the first local agro-dealer providing
high quality agricultural inputs combined with extension services to local farmers.
They are now working with 31 farms and have introduced climate-smart
greenhouses and drip irrigation systems that reduce water waste by 80% and are
providing farm management support to another 400 farmers.
We’re creating opportunities for women farmers and entrepreneurs. In partnership
with MicroDahab, USAID is helping women business owners to take out loans
they need to build their businesses and farms. With USAID’s support, MicroDahab
is supporting many women entrepreneurs take out loans to start and expand their
businesses.
Somali women face serious barriers in accessing finance. To break down such
barriers, GEEL is partnering with banks and Somali women-owned businesses to
find solutions to such challenges. GEEL has supported one of the leading female
agribusiness companies in Somalia, (Somfresh), to access finance and technology
for wholesale and retail sales of fruits and vegetables. GEEL provided technical
and investment support for her to take out a loan from Dahabshiil Bank to
purchase a new farm which will improve her supply chain. GEEL also providing
in-kind grant in the form of cold storage to improve her fresh fruits business.
USAID is partnering with a number of livestock companies, including Irmaan
Dairy, Beder, and Sommilk, to improve milk processing and nutritional value of
local milk.