Somaliland Ministry of Air and Civil Aviation: What’s really been achieved?,By: Saleban Abdi Ahmed
 

Mohamoud Hashi Abdi
Somaliland Ministry of Air and Civil Aviation

Somaliland ministry of air and civil Aviation Mohamoud Hashi Abdi is responsible for the management of the government’s entire aviation policies. His department is directly accountable for controlling ai r transportation, airports development, maintenance, condition of aviation infrastructure services a nd other needs. The minister has accomplished numerous tasks since the government came to powe r august last year. We need to read with objective mind in order to credit the imme nse work implem ented by the minister.It’s been 10 months, since President Ahme d M. Silanyo shaped the current Som aliland government.

Mohamoud Hashi Abdi was nominated as minister of air and civil aviation. If we stop highlighting som e of the minister’s achievements from august last year, he has accomplished scores of important tas ks which include the re-opening of Burao airport the second largest city in Somaliland. He also re-op en Borame’s airport which was closed over eight years, he establish and bring back to government control Erigaabo’s airport. Besides, all those achievements have been done less than one year since the government came to power. In retrospect, history point out the previous administration manag ed merely two airports well over five years. So the policy of opening all the major airports in Somalila nd is clear commitment from the government in the long run. It’s beneficial in term of economically a nd politically because this will have positive impact on tourist industry also this will signal more trave lling from Somaliland Diaspora which will boost regional economy.Barbara is an important part of our lives. The city plays the same role in the economy that blood circulation plays in the human body.

So that underline the functionality of Somaliland economy is entirely dependent on the well being of Barbara. The city hosts two important infrastructures [seaport and airport]. For these reasons, the minister priorities Barbara airport, and built new terminal, road that link the airport to the main-road and introduce more needed facilities like CCTV which is essential to the security of Somaliland airport s. For these underlying principles, the department of aviation has advances Somaliland airports and achieved the highest safety standard rates and protocol less than one year since the government came to power. As we all recognise instinctively, the previous UDUB administration use to collect pas senger fees from airports in Somaliland which was not accountable in the national budget. For spirit of transparency and accountability, the minister of Aviation and his government designed a policy to be more open to the public; he blueprint fees collected from the airports goes straight to the minist er of finance. Before implementing any new fee increase, the minister proposed and outlined his rea soning for increasing fee which he explained comprehensively to the parliament and presented the overall expenses and the cost of maintaining airports in Somaliland, after discussion and debates the parliament approved fee increase.

This type of dialogues, discussion, consciences between the executive branch and the parliament wa s rare in UDUB’s premiership. Plans for a multi-million-dollar inve stment to rebuild Somaliland airports are on process thanks to the government of Kuwait for their gracious. But in the meantime, the mini ster has created a suitable conductive atmosphere and has improved immensely Somaliland airports, considering all these achievement, under difficult circumsta nces which the government inherited; we can securely say this will enable Somaliland airports to meet regional standards.We should praise and applaud government policy toward the air and civil aviat ion and not oppose their triumph. Individual from the opposition party with peripheral view should stop criticising the minister of aviati on and fulfilled the role of constructive opposition. Finally my fellow citizens, if we are really patriotic, it’s necessary to acknowledge the work carried out by this government and we should also boycott individuals that indulged in such outright finger-pointing provocation and tribalism which will lead us in disasters.