Somaliland:Sonyo Hosts Interface Meeting of Gender Employment and Financial Accessibility

By: Staff writer

SONYO hosts an Interface Meeting of Gender Employment and Financial Accessibility that discussed the opportunities and challenges facing young women.

Somaliland youth organisation SONYO Umbrella executive director, Mr Abdihamid Omer, has delivered the official opening statement and welcomed the distinguished guests to the event. “I thank the distinguished guests from the government, private banks, civil society organizations and youth participants. SONYO, under this project funded by Save the Children, has trained 580 youth who were trained on business, entrepreneurship, and resilience-building.”Said Abdihamid

” We have helped finance 6 business operatives for youth which are now officially in the market. Furthermore, this year, 450 trainees will be trained ( along with 6 business operatives which will be set up) and organized 4 interface meetings with duty bearers where 4500 youth were given opportunity to meet duty bearers and discuss youth employment issues.”Abdihamid Added

Somaliland chairman Civil Service Commission, Farhan Adem Haibe, has praised Sonyo for giving opportunities for the youth “I commend on the organizing SONYO for giving the youth opportunity to meet duty bearers and come to learn barriers and opportunities before employment. At recent times, we have been working on introducing reforms. In fact, there were no prior policies and bylaws for the recruitment of employees as well as their process of employment records from start to end.” Said Farhan haibe

CSC Chairman added that they have contributed to the employment of 3500 youth which are employed under the National Service Program.
“Moreover, we have helped recruit more than 3500 young people from the National Service Program in which a good number of them are women. We expect hundreds of new young employees to come on board this year, We are committed to putting policies and bylaws which contributes to the betterment of Government workers. As an effort to encourage women accessibility to employment, the president has instructed that 10% of extra marks be added in the interview assessment for women and 5% to the exam. “ said Farhan Haybe

Finally, a panel discussion followed where panellists have discussed issues concerning gender employment and finance accessibility. The panellists have put forward action plans which will of help in addressing the shortcomings associated with the lack of women access to finance and equal opportunity to employment.