For over twenty years,
the war in Somalia has adversely affected the livelihoods of millions of people
living across the country.
As with the vast majority of the Somali population,
the people of Galkayo town have lacked livelihood opportunities
and access to markets and social amenities.
The absence of these means of income
renders the town’s residents liable to be drawn into clan-based militias,
criminal gangs, piracy and violent politics.
In an effort to address these challenges,
the International Labour Organization (ILO), with funding from the European Union,
commenced a project to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable households
in urban and peri-urban areas of Galkayo.
The main objective of the project was to create employment opportunities
and improve access to markets and social amenities.
The project adopted labour-based technologies
in the implementation of the economic infrastructure projects.
At the core of these activities is the idea that a vibrant private sector
lies at the center of economic recovery and employment creation in Somalia.
This is specifically important in Galkayo,
an important commercial hub and a bustling town
that connects the south-central regions
to the rest of the north and northwestern Somalia.
"The project was implemented
by the International Labour Organization Somalia Programme
through the funding from European Union.
The objective of the project
was to improve the livelihoods of the vulnerable households in Galkayo
through employment creation."
Using a participatory approach,
ILO worked with the communities,
central and local government administrators,
to map out the key priority projects
that would transform the lives of the people of Galkayo.
Following that, a total of seven roads were rehabilitated and constructed
in both north and south Galkayo.
The process involved:
resealing and patching potholes in tarmac roads,
upgrading of gravel roads and the construction of drainage systems.
The project also trained local engineers,
both in the private and public sector,
on how to effectively monitor and supervise labor-based works.
These activities created income opportunities for over 280 workers,
a vast majority of them being the youth.
The overall project created short-term jobs for almost 2,000 people in Galkayo.
The indirect employment generated by labor-based methods has been estimated
to range between 1.5 to three times the numbers of directly generated jobs.
"In fact there are a lot of youth who are working here
so it has created employment opportunities for the youth and the whole community.
It helps a lot because there was a lot of unemployment previously
but now at least some of them their lifestyle has improved
due to the economic incentives they get from this project."
The social advantages of these employment-intensive programs
included the distribution of wages to a largely unskilled and poor workforce.
These wages created a multiplier effect, stimulating consumption, investment,
and even savings for some workers – all serving to boost the local economy.
The promotion of small-scale contractors in these programs
also helped expand the domestic construction industry.
It also made it more dynamic by establishing a more developed supplier
and customer linkages.
"Our lives have really changed.
This is because we are a group of workers
who come to work every morning and who make a decent wage by the day’s end.
So this opportunity has really helped us."
The construction of these roads has not only upgraded the transport system
within Galkayo town, but also reduced the congestion.
It has also improved the businesses operating along these areas,
further enhancing local economic capacities.
Through this project, ILO supported 25 enterprises located in the area.
"I am very happy that this road was constructed for us.
Previously, we used to have a problem with it.
The dust was never good for the drugs in my store,
besides the congestion and mud in the road.
Now that we have a tarmacked road,
we are really happy about it and very contended by it."
By building roads and engaging private construction companies in Galkayo,
ILO worked to create the right environment not only for employment generation
but also for sustainable economic development.