National Development Plan.

The National Development Plan is a multi-sectoral national plan of the Republic of Somaliland. It is in force for the period 2012-2016. Its overall objective is to address and overcome structural and institutional development constraints which Somaliland faces and achieve social and economic transformation to attain national prosperity.
The Plan covers the issue of food and water availability. For the former, it notes that it will ensure the availability and the affordability of stable food commodities particularly for the poor by pursuing policies that encourage production and higher productivity of stable foods such as sorghum, maize and beans. With respect to the latter, it notes that access to clean water is the right of every citizen. Hence, the thrust of sector development will be to ensure the availability of good quality water for everyone not just for drinking, but also for sanitation, agriculture and industrial use by: (1) building earth dams; (2) constructing reservoirs; (3) drilling a network of bore holes; (4) building communal Berkads (tanks); (5) promoting rooftop rain water harvesting; (6) establishing a network of weather stations; (7) building water quality testing laboratories; and (8) introducing national water policy.
The document also discusses the issue of environment and notes that taking into consideration the importance of conserving the environment for national development and the well-being of the society, the following programs and interventions will be undertaken: (1) substitution of charcoal as the main source of energy with other sources such as coal, gas, solar and wind; (2) enforcement of ban on charcoal exports; (3) improvement of rangeland utilization and environmental conservation; (4) empowerment of rural communities to look after their environment; (5) registration of land and adoption of appropriate land tenure systems; (6) conservation of soil and water; (7) reforestation; (8) preservation of biological diversity; (9) rehabilitation of degraded areas; (10) managing new settlements in line with rural and urban land use and environmental protection; (11) development of strategies for disaster preparedness and management; (12) formulation of appropriate environmental policies; and (13) building the institutional capacity of Ministry of Environment and Rural Development.
The Plan also covers the sub-sector of fisheries providing that the private sector is expected to take the lead in the development of the sector, but the government will be actively involved in providing leadership, promoting the sector, investing in infra-structure, and developing the right policy and regulatory framework. The main priorities and strategies for the sub-sector can be summarized as: (1) developing appropriate fisheries policies and regulations for the industry; (2) strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ministry of fisheries; (3) establishing cold chain facilities from producing ports to consuming markets; (4) building fish markets in the main urban centres to promote consumption; (5) setting up training and research facilities; (6) promoting fish exports to key importing markets; (7) supporting and promoting the fish processing and canning industry; (8) promoting fish farming and aqua culture, (9) rehabilitating local fishing ports, and (10) establishing marine sanctuaries and fish restocking programs.
For poverty reduction, the document targets to develop appropriate macroeconomic policies that are pro-growth and pro-poverty reduction. Further, to the same end, it will promote the private sector's role in expanding and diversifying national output by improving the institutional, regulatory, and legal framework for businesses. As for rural development, the Plan aims to embark on actions that most directly affect rural communities’ ability to raise their incomes, involving agriculture, livestock and fisheries, environment, water, off-farm employment, rural infrastructure and public works. In order to accelerate the development of the agricultural sector, the following five broad priority areas will be the focus of the Plan: (1) building the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Agriculture; (2) establishing research centres; (3) developing training and extension programs; (4) improving agricultural support services; (5) promoting sustainable agricultural and land management methods; (6) promoting commercial farming; and (7) improving the coordination of the sector programs and activities.
The strategies pursued by the National Development Plan for the livestock sub-sector seek to tackle the main obstacles hampering its development. In line with this, the priority areas for intervention and investment in the next five years will include:(1) strengthening institutional capacity of the Ministry in terms of facilities, equipment and human resource development; (2) establishing research and training centres; (3) introducing extension programs; (4) improving veterinary service delivery systems; (5) developing livestock export infrastructure; and (6) strengthening monitoring and evaluation of program.
In the area of employment, the document plans to develop employment programmes that target women’s and youth enterprises in urban and rural areas, including skills training and non-formal education. Equally, it plans to provide support services to young people, including counselling and vocational guidance in and out of school; financial assistance for business start-ups; capacity building training especially in management and business skills. The Policy also covers the issue of social protection noting that it is imperative upon every society to protect and support the vulnerable among its community. In Somaliland people rely mainly on traditional social protection structures. During the course of the National Development Plan these structures will be bolstered by: (1) strengthening existing institutions such as orphanages, and community based support services; (2) institutionalizing child protection services; (3) establishing family centres; (4) setting up a national social security fund; and (5) introducing a pension scheme for public and private workers.
The Plan also treats the issue of food and product safety providing for (1) developing legal framework for maintaining quality control methods and practices; (2) establishing standard specifications for products; (3) cooperating with counter parts in neighbouring countries; (4) carrying out quality assurance checks; and (5) raising public awareness of product safety.
Lastly, the Plan also includes measures regarding disasters management. More specifically, it aims to develop disaster management and recovery programs such as early warning system and emergency fund etc. designed to mitigate the impact of environmental changes.
The implementation of the Plan will be overseen by Somaliland National Planning Commission. Its monitoring and evaluation will be undertaken on national, sectoral and institutional levels.