MOGADISHU (SONNA) – The Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, H.E. Salah Ahmed Jama, officially opened a high-level meeting on Tuesday to accelerate the implementation of the Jowhar Off-stream Storage Programme (JOSP), a major national infrastructure project that has been in development for some time.
Addressing the assembled stakeholders, Deputy Prime Minister Jama articulated the project’s critical importance to the nation’s future. He described JOSP as a national priority and a central pillar of Somalia’s National Transformation Plan (2025–2029). The project is strategically designed to fundamentally enhance the country’s water management capabilities and serve as a catalyst for widespread agricultural development.
The government’s vision for the Jowhar Off-stream Storage Programme is transformative. Once operational, the project is expected to directly benefit over 300,000 Somali citizens. Furthermore, it is a cornerstone of the national strategy to achieve food security and economic self-sufficiency, enabling Somalis to fully utilize the country’s natural resources and progressively reduce reliance on foreign aid.
The meeting brought together a wide array of key partners, including high-level government officials, development partners, United Nations agencies, and representatives from civil society. The session’s primary focus was to conduct a comprehensive review of the progress made on JOSP to date, identify and resolve existing implementation challenges, and secure robust technical, financial, and political support to propel the project into its next critical phase.
