Federalism Training Programme concludes in the Somali Federal Member State of Puntland

Eighth and Final Federalism Training on Public Land, Property and Infrastructure Management in Federal Systems

Within the framework of the project funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, Capacity Building and Legal Advice on Political Decentralisation and Federalism in Somalia, the Max Planck Foundation conducted the eighth training for officials from various departments and ministries of Puntland. The training was organised on 2 and 3 December 2020 in coordination with the Puntland Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Democratisation (MoIFAD).

The training covered the topic “Public Land, Property and Infrastructure Management in Federal Systems“. It involved a presentation that analysed the topic in question based on comparative research of the legal systems adopted in other federal countries. The presentation was followed by a practical group exercise and plenary discussions among the participants to corroborate the knowledge gained from the training. To respect the physical distancing measures, the participants were divided into two groups, one attending the training on 2 December, and the other the day after.

The federalism training programme conducted in Puntland from 2019 to 2020 included the following topics:

  • Multi-level Political Party Organisation;
  • Representation of Member States in Central Decision-Making;
  • Number and Boundaries of Federal Member States;
  • Federal Member State Constitutions;
  • Establishment of Local Councils and Local Democracy;
  • Confederal Arrangements from a Comparative Perspective;
  • Organisation of the Education Sector in Federal Systems;
  • Public Land, Property and Infrastructure Management in Federal Systems.

The participants stressed the relevance of the topics to the Somali context. They also emphasised the need to conduct similar training in the future to strengthen the technical capacities of the institutions of Puntland and to consolidate the legal framework regulating federalism and decentralisation in the Federal Republic of Somalia.