The minister of finance Hon. Dr. Saad Ali Shire has stated that the tax arbitration committee is there to serve the interests of the taxpayers in any case that there is a complain worth resolving.
He gave the sentiments during an event that ushered in the new board members of the tax arbitration committee and at the same time bidding farewell to the former office bearers.
He described the duty of the office is to mainly giving the taxpayer an opportunity to present his or her case, if the Ministry of Finance disagrees with the tax due.
“It is an office designed to serve the tax-paying citizen”, he said.
He called on all taxpayers to benefit from the services of the arbitration office if need arises.
He also urged the arbitration board to educating the tax payers duly.
In essence, arbitration is usually as an alternativeform of disputeresolution where there isa deliberation as to the rights and liabilitiesof partiesdetermined by a third party, in this case the Tax Arbitration Committee, instead of having recourse to a court of law.
The President of the Republic of Somaliland H.E. Musa Bihi Abdi held a meeting at the Presidential Palace with the Presidential candidate of the WADDANI, Mr. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi (Irro) together with the veteran politician Abdiqadir Haji Ismail Jirde who is a top leader of WADDANI Party and also Chairman of Kulmiye Party, who is the Minister of Internal Affairs of Somaliland Hon. Mohamed Kahin Ahmed, the First Deputy Chairman of Kulmiye Party, Mr. Abdiaziz Mohamed Samale and the Minister of Animal Husbandry and Rural Development Hon. Said Sulub Mohamed.
According to a press release from the Presidency, the meeting discussed the general situation of the country, hence they agreed to unite in the defense of the nation while noting that priority should be given to the unity and interests of the Republic of Somaliland.
The upcoming elections in the country were also discussed, and it was agreed that the National Electoral Commission should be left to cater in matters related to the elections.
In the end, the meeting ended with full agreement consensus and unity of national interests.
The Ministry of Assemblies Coordinations and Constitutional Affairs held an event for yet another 400 students from Hargeisa City who have completed studying civics and patriotism studies.
The outgoing minister Hon. Mohamed Haji Aden Ilmi who has been transferred to the religion and endowments docket was flanked by several of his colleagues in attending the ceremony to celebrate the students who completed the study of the Constitution and Patriotism.
The Director of the Ministry of Council Relations and Constitutional Affairs, Deeqa Abdi Yusuf, reported on the importance of the ministry to educate the public about the constitution and patriotism, and praised the efforts they put in and how they benefit the youth and the various sectors of Somaliland community.
The minister praised the students who completed the civics course and urged them to apply it aptly in their lives.
“We are very happy and grateful to these young people for being responsible, selective and respectful during their studies. I thank them and congratulate them for their election in a country of love and humanity”, he said.
He continued, “I say to you as a parent, excel and move forward, continue education, protect nationalism, strengthen unity, fight against tribalism and use th knowledge to fight for development, unitedly join hands, you will achieve good things for and within our country”.
In the end, certificates were awarded to the students of Hargeisa capital districts who completed the study of the constitution and patriotism, and who took advantage of the opportunity given to the citizens by the Ministry of Assemblies’ coordination and constitutional affairs.
They are not the first students to have such an event but thousands more have already undergone the course.
“The primary goal of the symposium is to identify both the challenges and opportunities within the country’s agricultural sector.” Agriculture Minister
Agriculture minister Hon. Eng. Abdulkadir Iman Warsame delivered his keynote speech at a two-day symposium on Agricultural Challenges and Opportunities in Somaliland and how to empower the farmers.
The symposium held Grand Haadi Hotel brought together participants from several ministries, line state agencies and non-governmental organizations.
It was graced by amongst others, several cabinet ministers.
The agriculture minister said that the primary goal of the symposium was to identify both the challenges and opportunities within the country’s agricultural sector with the intent of empowering subsistence farmers.
“We expect the attending panel of experts to provide appropriate ideas aimed at assisting and uplifting our farming community”, he said.
Minister of Information Hon. Suleiman Ali Kore pointed out, “Our agricultural landscape predominantly consists of small-scale subsistence farmers hence shifting to large scale farming is imperative”.
Hon. Raabi Abdi Mohamed Minister of Rural Development on his part stated, “As a ministry, we emphasize prioritizing support for our rural farmers, recognizing their vital role in the country’s agricultural sector and we urge the World Bank, a sponsor of this program, to collaborate closely with our ministry to ensure this priority becomes a tangible reality”.
Sheikh Abdirzak Hussein Albani, Minister of Religion, “We have been blessed with extensive agricultural land and consistent rainfall which are gifts from Allah but what we lack, is the commitment to cultivate this land and utilize these blessings to yield what’s necessary for our sustenance”.
Kai Yu Huang, an Agricultural specialist from Taiwan Technical Mission, “Somaliland is graced with significant opportunities, mainly fertile soil and abundant sunshine ideal for agriculture. Take, for instance, these Tomatoes, and chili peppers- products of our cultivation”.
He added, “Their quality is a testament to the resources exclusively sourced from Somaliland. We also successfully introduced new crops previously unexplored in this country, including asparagus”.
Khat’s export revenue dropped dramatically from around $400 million a decade ago to $248 million last year
Addis Abeba – The Ministry of Trade has announced that khat exporters will now be required to undergo a rigorous registration process, which includes meeting newly issued pre-license requirements to participate in the business. The objective of this move is to streamline operations and enhance earnings from khat exports.
The new directive applies to all existing exporters who have renewed their operations in the current fiscal year, as well as those wishing to enter the khat export industry. The re-registration period for exporters is scheduled to take place from 7–25 November, 2023.
During a press briefing held yesterday, Gebremeskel Chala, Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, emphasized the necessity of pre-licensing criteria for the khat export sector. According to him, this criteria aims to identify challenges faced by the industry and implement operational reforms to improve the export revenue derived from this stimulant.
Previously, khat used to rank among Ethiopia’s top five commodities in terms of export earnings. However, the yearly revenue generated from this cash crop has significantly declined from over $400 million a decade ago to $248 million last year.
Gebremeskel also stressed that pre-license requirements are crucial to ensuring fair benefits for farmers engaged in the trading business, preventing illegal traders from infiltrating the system, and encouraging the participation of legal traders.
There are almost 5,000 registered khat exporters in Ethiopia; however, less than 500 are active in the industry.
Gebremeskel warned that khat exporters who fail to renew their licenses within the given timeframe and meet the necessary requirements will have their khat export license revoked.
Khat trading and export have faced recent challenges, particularly after the ministry’s announcement of doubling the export price for the cash crop in April 2022. This decision required exporters to deposit $10 for every kilo of exported khat into an Ethiopian bank. Although the decision was briefly reversed following a ban from the Somaliland Khat Association, it was later reinstated, leading to significant disruptions in the khat market and creating an unsustainable burden for exporters and the farming community.
In May 2022, the Ministry made an additional announcement stating that it had taken action to revoke the business licenses of 830 khat exporters. These exporters were believed to be engaged in unlawful activities such as failing to renew their licenses and misusing their services.
The government’s intervention in khat trading extends beyond the federal level. In July 2023, Addis Standard reported that farmers and exporters of khat in the Oromia region have been grappling with an unforeseen socio-economic crisis due to excessive taxation at multiple checkpoints on both municipal and regional levels. These interventions have had negative consequences for all parties involved, including the farmers and exporters.
The government has confirmed reports of infestation of Locusts in the coastal regions of the country bordering Yemen.
Minister of Agriculture Mr. Abdikadir Iman Warsame revealed that the locusts invaded the country from the coast of Yemen.
The minister reported that the locusts are now on the coast of Awdal and Selel regions. He confirmed that the pests are in El-gaal, Kaloonlay, Caruurley, east Gar-gaara and Abdi Geedi villages.
He said “The locusts have metamorphosed into swams hence we need to share our information with people living on the path of the swarm of locusts; these are the villagers and farmers in those areas already infested by the pests.”
He urged people in the affected areas to share information with the government and inform the of the locusts movements.
The minister stated that the weather conditions may impede the multiplication of the locusts.
He also revealed that the locusts swam had crossed into Sahil region and have infested the coast of Berbera.
The agriculture minister confirmed that the government was working tirelessly to eradicate the pests from the country.
He said, “Our ministry has prepared all the necessary vehicles and equipment to spray the locusts from their breeding sites.”
Minister of Education Mr.Ahmed Dirie Torno and a delegation of top ministry of education officials met with GIZ top officials in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The Somaliland delegation was seconded by its ambassador to Kenya at the meeting.
The education minister and GIZ officials discussed about development and implementation of technical training institutions programs known as (TVET) that the ministry works in-conjunction with GIZ.
They agreed to increase their engagement on implementations of technical training institutions in Somaliland. The minutes from the meeting suggested that both parties will hold a follow up meeting in Hargeisa within this month.
The National Electoral Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Somaliland held a wide-ranging meeting on Wednesday to discuss issues related to the preparation, completion and issuance of the final list of potential voters (Final Voter List).
The meeting also discussed and analyzed the preparatory plans for the upcoming general elections which saw the participation of regional and district heads of the NEC.
A press release from the elections agency read as follows; “The National Electoral Commission of the Republic of Somaliland held a meeting to prepare for the elections that are expected to be held in the country.
“It held a meeting for all regional and district chairmen of the Electoral Commission with the purpose of the meeting being to draft, finalize and issue the final List of Voters.
“The meeting also discussed the preparatory plans for the upcoming national elections and general situation on the ground was shared by all officials.
“Summarily, NEC has recently held meetings to enhance the work of the commission, in paving the way for a timely election.”
On the other hand, the National Electoral Commission on Wednesday received the Ambassador of Taiwan to the Republic of Somaliland, Ambassador Allen Chenhwa Lou, at its headquarters in which it briefed the diplomat on the preparation and acceleration of the upcoming elections.
The National Electoral Commission thanked the Ambassador for his country’s support in the implementation of the simultaneous elections of the Local Councils and Representatives of Somaliland, and asked him to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries, especially in the areas of democracy and elections.
The Municipal Government of Hargeisa has informed the members of the public that they will dispose off and burn all expired foodstuffs that has been seized.
A statement from the Town Hall said, “We are informing the residents of Hargeisa that we still have the truckloads of expired foodstuff that we have seized and we are going to burn them as soon as possible.”
The civic authority said that it will bring to book all culprits in the saga.
They noted that when disposing off the items they would inform the residents and burn them in public.
They thanked the quality assurance agency for their collaboration and inspection of the commodities.
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change Hon. Shukri Haji Ismail Bandare, yesterday opened the second conference on environmental issues and climate change.
This meeting, which is the second one held in Hargeisa, was attended by the director general of the ministry Mr. Mohamed Abdillahi Duale, and members of the departmental directors of the ministry.
The opening of the conference that was also graced by members of the international organizations that are cooperating with the ministry included including OXFAM, USAID, Action AID, Candlelight, local NGOs and others.
This meeting will analyze the current achievements in dealing with the problems affecting the environment, and the effects of climate change.
There will also be a review of the challenges faced by these plans, and the reasons why they cannot be implemented.
This conference will also set the plan for environmental issues in the third national development plans NDP3.
The minister said that under discussions were the issues of conservation, environmental care, and climate change, and how to achieve the goals of the environmental issues in the third national development plan of NDP3.
She said that the ministry ought to be informed on all intentions and planned projects for ease of advisory and monitoring the undertakings.
On his part the DG said the forum is to exchange ideas and work together to strengthen cooperation between the ministries and line NGOs.
He said, “This ministry is constitutionally responsible for the protection of the environment and the promotion of its quality and the wild game that lives therein”.
The plans are subjected to be in line with the NDP3 National Master Plan.
