Hiiraan Online
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has completed its diaspora tour promoting their development plan to assist Somalia’s need for human resource capacity.
Program manager Mirkka Genttonen and her team visited Washington DC, Seattle, Toronto and Ottawa during a multi-city tour organized by Martisoor Group to meet with Somalia diaspora and explain the IOM program.
"There was a lot of general interest among the community which reflected in the turn out." Said Abdulkadir Maalin, whose organization Martisoor Group facilitated the outreach program. " Those who attended really appreciated the MIDA presents and the information provided."
The diaspora group is the cornerstone of the IOM’s development program and its aim is to effectively utilize the skills, resources and knowledge of the Somali diaspora in the development efforts Federal Government of Somalia and Somaliland at community, regional and national levels.
Another aim of the project is to curb the alarming migration rates among Somali youth through job creation and business opportunities. Somali diaspora knowledge and skill transfer coupled with development schemes such as training, mentoring, grants/loans/investments is IOM’s plan.
To date, the program currently has 415 diaspora experts in over 80 public institutions throughout Puntland, Somaliland and South Central Somalia.