Your Excellencies,
I am writing in my capacity as a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federal Parliament of Somalia to formally bring to your attention the widespread and systemic misappropriation of #Green Climate Fund (GCF) resources allocated to Somalia. A comprehensive review of the $100 million funding designated for climate resilience and adaptation initiatives has revealed substantial evidence of financial misconduct, violations of Somalia’s Public Financial Management (PFM) Act, breaches of procurement laws, and deliberate misallocation of funds to entities designed to facilitate corruption rather than genuine environmental impact. Given that the United States government has contributed $2 billion to the GCF, the misuse of these funds in Somalia must be treated with the utmost seriousness and met with immediate intervention.
Somali MP Abib Calls for the US to “Urgently Suspend and Investigate” the Misappropriation of US-Funded Green Climate Fund (GCF) Amounting to $100 Million
With the Trump administration in a fierce fight to eradicate corruption and end US funding facilities that facilitate… pic.twitter.com/ilKstwWMfD
— Daljir Media (@radiodaljir) February 20, 2025
The mismanagement of GCF funding in Somalia is not an isolated case of poor governance but a calculated and orchestrated effort by senior officials within the Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Education, and other relevant agencies to divert climate funds into private hands. This fraudulent scheme has been deliberately structured to bypass legal safeguards, and its primary objective is to create a financial reserve that will be used to BUY the upcoming 2026 elections, ensuring the continuity of a corrupt administration. The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated, as the Somali government is well aware that new international funding for the federal government will cease starting May 15, 2025, making the rapid looting of remaining funds a top priority for those in power.
A central element of this corruption scandal is the Institute of #Climate and Environment (ICE) at #SIMAD University, which was created solely as a vehicle to channel GCF funding into private accounts. SIMAD University is partially owned by the President of Somalia and the Minister of Education, and under their direction, the former Minister of Environment was coerced into signing a fraudulent partnership agreement that allowed ICE to directly receive millions of dollars in funding without any meaningful oversight. This arrangement ensured that vast sums of money intended for national climate resilience efforts were instead funneled into a private university with no accountability mechanisms in place. The agreement was crafted in a manner that effectively bypassed legal procurement processes, making it impossible for regulatory bodies to scrutinize how these funds were used.
Urgently Suspend and Investigate on Misappropriation of Green Climate Fund (GCF) US$100 Million Funds for Somalia
Your Excellencies,
I am writing in my capacity as a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federal Parliament of Somalia to formally bring to your attention… pic.twitter.com/cjWCwUp9U4
— MP Dr Abdillahi Hashi Abib (@MPDrAbib) February 20, 2025
In addition to #ICE at #SIMAD, a network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was hand-selected to receive significant portions of the GCF funding despite having no proven track record, no demonstrable expertise in climate resilience, and, in some cases, no verifiable existence beyond hastily created websites. These NGOs, which include #Earth Somalia, #Restore Somalia Foundation, the #Climate Resilience and Adaptation Network (CRAN), the #Somalia Environmental Conservation Agency (SECA), and the #Somali Institute for Agricultural Development Organization (SIADO), share common characteristics – they lack transparency, provide no evidence of prior work, have no public contact information, and were clearly established as conduits for financial misappropriation. The cost of setting up symbolic websites for these organizations, which serve as their only visible public footprint, is estimated at no more than $100 each, raising serious concerns about the legitimacy of their operations and the ease with which they have been able to access substantial public funds.
Compounding this misallocation of resources is the deliberate exclusion of Somalia National University (SNU), the country’s only public university, from receiving any funding for climate-related initiatives. Unlike the private institutions that were selected for financial enrichment, SNU possesses the academic credibility and institutional capacity to meaningfully contribute to climate adaptation efforts. However, because it is not controlled by political elites with vested financial interests, it was intentionally sidelined in favor of fraudulent entities designed to enrich those in power.
The financial misconduct does not end with domestic actors. Disturbingly, the #Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the #United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and other international agencies operating in Somalia have played a direct role in facilitating this corruption, despite having stringent internal regulations meant to ensure accountability and transparency. These agencies have become complicit by failing to implement rigorous oversight and, in some cases, by actively engaging in opaque financial transactions that shield corrupt Somali officials from scrutiny. Their continued involvement in Somalia’s governance landscape has blurred the lines between international development assistance and executive overreach, enabling a system where donor funds are exploited without consequence.
Given the severity of these findings, immediate action is required to prevent further financial abuse and ensure accountability. The first and most urgent step is the immediate suspension of all GCF disbursements to Somalia until a full forensic audit is conducted. This audit must be comprehensive, independently managed, and include an in-depth analysis of all transactions, project expenditures, and the actual implementation of purported climate initiatives. Additionally, the bank accounts of all individuals and institutions involved in the mismanagement of funds must be frozen to prevent further illicit financial transfers. Those implicated, including senior officials within the Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Livestock, the Ministry of Fisheries, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the Governor of the Central Bank of Somalia, the Auditor General, and the Accountant General, must be subject to full legal scrutiny, with criminal charges pursued where warranted.
Moreover, an independent investigative body should be established to assess the role of FAO, UNDP, and other international agencies in this corruption scheme. These organizations must be held accountable for failing to enforce financial integrity measures and for allowing their operations in Somalia to become vehicles for mismanagement and fraud. It is important that international actors operating in Somalia are subjected to the same level of oversight and accountability as domestic institutions, particularly when they are entrusted with managing large sums of donor funds.
The Somali people have been denied their right to honest governance for too long, and the misuse of climate funds represents yet another chapter in a long history of exploitation by those in power. The fraudulent diversion of GCF resources is not simply a financial crime – it is an assault on the nation’s future, undermining efforts to address climate vulnerability while strengthening the corrupt networks that keep Somalia in perpetual instability. If these crimes go unchecked, they will set a dangerous precedent that emboldens further financial mismanagement and deepens the structural corruption that has crippled Somalia’s development.
It is time to act decisively. I urge both the GCF leadership and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency to take immediate measures to halt further funding, launch an independent forensic audit, and ensure that those responsible for the looting of climate funds are brought to justice. There must be no impunity for those who seek to steal the future of Somalia for their own gain. The world must no longer turn a blind eye to corruption disguised as climate action.
I look forward to your prompt response outlining the corrective measures that will be taken to restore accountability and ensure that GCF funding is used for its intended purpose.
Sincerely,
Dr. Abdillahi Hashi Abib – BA, MA, MASc, Ph.D | Member of Foreign Affairs Committee
Federal Republic of Somalia the House of People | Mogadishu, Somalia
MP- HOP #201 Awdal Region and Gebileh District
Leader of the Accountability and Transparency Caucus of the House of People
E: abdillahi.abib@parliament.gov.so | W: + 1-571-436-7586 M: + 252-6108-22469
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