Somaliland Ministry of Finance reviews progress on Enhancing Public Resources Management (SERP) project
Hargeisa, Somaliland – The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development convened its quarterly review meeting for the Somaliland Enhancing Public Resources Management (SERP) project on Sunday, assessing advancements in strengthening governance and fiscal systems across key government institutions.
Director General Mohamed Hassan Saleban inaugurated the session, attended by the Technical Committee comprising the Ministry of Finance, Auditor General’s Office, National Contracts Office, Good Governance Agency, Civil Service Commission, and parliamentary oversight sub-committees. The meeting focused on progress during April-June 2025 under the World Bank-funded initiative, which runs through 2027.
“The SERP project is a cornerstone in our efforts to build a transparent and accountable public sector,” stated Director General Saleban. “This quarterly review ensures we remain aligned with our objectives to enhance institutional efficiency and service delivery for Somaliland’s socio-economic development.”
Key Project Focus Areas:
- Public Financial Management: Streamlining budgeting, expenditure tracking, and revenue collection
- Inter-Agency Collaboration: Reducing fragmentation through unified financial systems
- Climate Resilience: Integrating climate-informed planning into public investments
- Capacity Building: Strengthening audit functions and contract oversight
Funded by the World Bank’s International Development Association and Somalia Multi-Partner Fund, SERP aims to bolster domestic revenue, improve public administration, and establish harmonized financial frameworks. The Technical Committee reviewed achievements and challenges, emphasizing reforms to optimize resource utilization.
“The collaborative framework across institutions is vital for systemic change,” noted a senior ministry official. “SERP’s success directly supports poverty reduction and inclusive growth by ensuring public resources drive tangible development outcomes.”
The project continues to advance Somaliland’s governance reforms, with the next review scheduled for October 2025.
About the SERP Project
The development objective of the Enhancing Public Resource Management Project for Somaliland is to strengthen accountability, transparency, and institutional capacity in public resource management across participating entities.
The project comprises of five components.
The first component, public financial management (PFM), objective is to strengthen budget preparation, execution, and oversight for the Government of Somaliland. It consists of the following sub-components:
(i) support essential budget execution functions;
(ii) strengthen PFM in the health and education sectors; and
(iii) improve budget preparation and transparency.
The second component, domestic revenue mobilization (DRM) objective is to support the DRM priorities of Somaliland to strengthen its inland revenue systems and capacity and contribute to harmonizing tax administration.
It consists of the following sub-components:
(i) improve tax policy capacity; and
(ii) improve and harmonize inland revenue and selected customs administration systems and capacity.
The third component, public sector management (PSM) objective is to support the enhancement of systems, staff skills, and effectiveness of civil service management to improve government capacity to deliver services to citizens.
It consists of the following sub-components:
(i) strengthening the capacity of central and line Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs); and
(ii) implement civil service management systems and policies, pay and grading, and pension.
The fourth component, integrated governance support, outlines the way in which PFM, DRM and PSM come together to support financial governance reforms and change management to guide the process.
It consists of the following sub-components:
(i) interconnectivity of public finance and human resource (HR) systems;
(ii) HR management in PFM and DRM; and
(iii) change management to support DRM and PFM systems and civil service reform.
The fifth component, project management, coordination, and support in delivery will support the management, coordination, and monitoring and evaluation (M and E) of project activities.
It consists of the following sub-components:
(i) project management; and
(ii) results monitoring and impact evaluation.
