As President Hassan Sheikh and his administration are caught in an endless cycle of never before experienced fraud and financial mismanagement, Somalia’s Ministry of Education under President Hassan Sheikh’s business partner Farah Sheikh Abdiqadir is the latest Ministry surrounded by suspicion and attempts to defraud over $20 million Somalia education grants.
In a letter by MP Abdullahi Hashi Abib to donors, the MP is very concerned by the actions of Farah Sheikh Abdiqadir, Federal Minister of of Education, Culture and Higher Education, who some allege might defraud funds intended for Somalia’s Federal Member States, as the Minister “holds shares in private universities and multiple private primary and secondary schools in Mogadishu.”
Minister Farah Abdiqadir who is a trusted associate of President Hassan Sheikh is accused of wanting to defraud the education funds for Somalia, Federal Member State funds in particular, by having them forgo the federal accountability system, and as such have all funds come under his Ministry without transparency any accountability.
Federal Member States have accused the Minister and MP Abib has documented that “The Minister’s personal business interests directly compete with public educational institutions, creating a substantial risk of bias that could undermine the implementation and success of educational initiatives aimed at public schools.”
Since Puntland has revoked its recognition of the Federal Government in response to the unconstitutional changes of the constitution, MP Abib points to some troubling developments with underlying intentions to defraud donor funds and he writes that “the President of the Southwest State, under significant pressure from the Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education of Somalia, dismissed his own Minister of Education. This action is a clear example of direct interference and constitutes a violation of the internal affairs of a Federal Member State.”
The dismissal of South West State Education Minister came at the heels of his refusal of Minister Farah Abdiqadir’s demands for the Minister to forgo the federal law and sign off that all funds come under Minister Farah Abdiqadir.
Similar pressure is now being applied to President Qoorqoor of Galmudug in order to dismiss Minister Mohamed Hashi Dhoore, Galmudug Minister of Education, who insists on accountability and federalism.
Click here for the letter from MP Abib: FGS_Education_GPE_Project_Abib_MP_Daljir
With Similar concerns, Federal Member States have at the end of March last year written to the GPE Program Secreteriat. They wrote to express their “concerns regarding the management of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) by the Federal Ministry of Education.”
in that joint letter, the FMS have stated, “Despite our concerted efforts to engage with the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) Ministry of Education, we have encountered significant challenges in clarifying the roles and responsibilities of Federal Member States (FMS) and the FGS within the GPE action plan. The lack of clarity surrounding the distribution of resources and the implementation process further exacerbates these concerns.”
The FMS concluded, “we are disappointed by the lack of willingness from the FGS Ministry of Education to address these outstanding issues through meaningful dialogue and collaboration. Despite our attempts to engage constructively, we have not received the necessary support and cooperation to resolve these critical issues.
We strongly urge GPE to intervene and facilitate discussions between all stakeholders to address the aforementioned concerns and ensure that the GPE initiatives in Somalia are implemented effectively and inclusively. It is imperative that the voices and priorities of the Federal Member States are heard and respected in the management of GPE projects.”
Stay tuned to Daljir for the latest developments in Minister Farah Abdiqadir’s attempts to bring the Federal Member States to their knees in his alleged attempt to defraud Somalia’s education funds.
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