Building Sustainable Opportunities for Resilient Communities

USAID works with the private sector, local communities and Somali government to strengthen livelihoods and create sustainable solutions which help internally displaced people and vulnerable people integrate into local economies. This support aims to increase the ability and resources of Somali communities to withstand recurrent shocks and ultimately to reduce reliance on humanitarian assistance.

Improvements to markets and trade benefit the local economy, as well as increase stability throughout the Horn of Africa. USAID’s economic growth programs strengthen and diversify livelihoods and accelerate economic development for marginalized groups in the targeted areas of Somalia by increasing individual, household, business, community, and system-wide resilience through rural and urban livelihood diversification and promoting inclusive economic market systems.

Economic Growth Portfolio

Inclusive Resilience in Somalia (IRiS) Activity
Partner: DT Global
Estimated Cost: $65 million / June 2022 – June 2027 

IRiS is focused on integrating people displaced by drought and marginalized communities into local economies and helping those economies grow. USAID promotes climate-smart agriculture practices for Somalia’s largely agro-pastoralist population and supports new livelihood opportunities through affordable training and access to financial services.

Reducing Communities’ Vulnerability to Drought and External Shocks (RECOVER)
Partner: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Total Contribution: $8 million / October 2022 – September 2025

RECOVER addresses food insecurity by helping farmers, livestock herders, and fishing communities implement climate-smart techniques to increase production of nutritious food for their families and communities. USAID will establish resilient communities by building new skills to diversify their livelihoods and enable them to pivot from a traditional single-focused economy.   

Scaling Durable Solutions
Partner: International Organization for Migration (IOM) / Danwadaaag Consortium
Estimated Cost: $11.5 million / October 2022 – September 2025

The Scaling Durable Solutions Activity is a cross-sectoral project that identifies and pilots new and creative solutions that secure land tenure, strengthen livelihoods, and expand the delivery of basic services to displacement-affected communities. 

Berbera Port Project 
Partner: Trademark East Africa
Total Contribution: $2.5 million / October 2022  – September 2024

The Berbera Port in Somaliland* is a key entry port for goods into Somalia and all of East Africa. USAID is working with the Somaliland government to strengthen the Berbera Port’s ability to meet international sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) and certification mechanisms to ensure food is safe for consumption. This will accelerate the movement of goods and increase the value of vital exports, such as livestock and fish, and increasing availability of food commodities and humanitarian aid. 

Power Africa, Empowering East and Central Africa (EECA) Program
Partner: RTI International
Total Contribution: $2,000,,000 / 2023 – 2028 

USAID’s Power Africa EECA  project expands affordable and reliable electricity services in Somalia - where only an estimated 49% of the population have access to electricity. USAID Power Africa promotes a transition to clean energy that is affordable for the Somali people and can support economic growth, security, and improved outcomes in health and education. This is done through technical assistance to private electricity service providers in Somalia to diversify their generation from diesel to renewable energy, including solar power.  Moreover, the activity also supports the government to undertake policy and regulatory reforms to improve the governance and performance of the energy sector and create an enabling environment to attract private investments. 

Solar Energy Hybridization Development Credit Authority  
Partner: Equator Energy 
Total Contribution: $350,000 / September 2019 – September 2029

USAID is working to finance installations of solar-powered electricity infrastructure to reduce the cost of electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Somalia. 

 

*Somaliland is the northernmost region of Somalia. The United States recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, including the region of Somaliland.