By M.A Egge
The large delegation that consisted of almost a half dozen cabinet ministers jetted back into the country yesterday after a week-long official visit in Nairobi, Kenya.
Their visit which was indeed, as foreign minister Hon. Mohammed Bihi Yonis put it “quite a very important one” was convened by the UN hence was procedurally an evaluative follow-up of the general national development issues in a comprehensive manner.
Upon their arrival, the ministers said that their Nairobi itinerary of several meetings and sessions went well and was quite promising.
The honourables Dr. Sa’ad Ali Shire, Dr. Suleiman Hagletosie, Lady Shukri Bondare and Farah E. Geedoole of the planning, health, environmental and agricultural ministries respectively jetted out the country Saturday last week while accompanied by the Head of Investments section of the planning department and a top development programs director of the finance ministry.
They were then joined at Addis Ababa by the foreign minister and his advisor who proceeded on to Nairobi, the UN regional headquarters in the continent.
Hon. Shire told the press upon their arrival that they met with UN agencies like FAO, UNICEF, UNDP and also international financial institutions like the World Bank, Africa Development Fund etc.
They did not elaborate on the details of their meetings but said that the outcome was positive.
Earlier on in the mid-week the foreign minister who talked to our sister paper Dawan from Nairobi said that the nature of their trip was on imperative one for the development of the country.
“It is a very important trip that consists of several meetings that are evaluative of what development programs have been achieved so far, what is to be embarked on and what plans were in store”.
He, and later Hon. Shire upon arrival, said that aspects of security situation, development projects and programs, the SL-Somalia talks, general politics and policies, the impending general elections to mention but a few, was top in their itinerary of agendas. Dr. Shire said that they met with up to 13 foreign embassies who are partners in Somaliland development issues.
Hon. Bihi had earlier mentioned Italy, US, UK, France Norway, Denmark and Netherlands were some of those they had already met by Wednesday last week.
The FM had not returned with the delegation in the country but was left behind in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This is the largest group of senior cabinet officials to have left for such developmental high profile working trip in quite a while.
