Today, 5 December 2017, the Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Somalia and the European Union inaugurated the new premises of the Ministry of Defence at Villa Gashandiga, Mogadishu, also home to the Headquarters of the Somali National Armed Forces.
These new premises, to which the European Union contributed a total of EUR 2.1 million, will allow the relocation of MoD civil servants from their previous location in Villa Somalia to Villa Gashandhiga. By co-locating and bringing closer together civilian and military personnel, the EU-funded project will increase the civilian oversight of the Somali National Armed Forces by the Ministry of Defence.
At the inauguration ceremony, the Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service, Mr Pedro Serrano, said “I am extremely pleased to see the completion of this important project. The new facilities will strengthen the capacities of the Ministry of Defence so that it can fulfil its responsibilities of civilian oversight towards the Somalia National Army more efficiently. In doing so, the EU expects to continue contributing to the reform of the Security Sector in Somalia.“
Minister of Defence Mohamed Mursal Sheik Abdirahman said “today we made another step to advance security sector reform in Somalia. The Federal Government is appreciative of the comprehensive engagement of the European Union to improve security and build up the capacities of the Somalia security forces.
Through this project, the European Union supported the renovation and rehabilitation of office space and built a new training centre and provided administrative equipment and training courses for the MoD’s civil servants.
