Conflict Prevention and Social Stabilization through Gender Sensitive Bossaso Market Rehabilitation and Entrepreneurship Development

Somalia is considered to be the most protracted and complex humanitarian emergency in the world today. Indeed 3 million out of its 10 million inhabitants are in need of humanitarian assistance and currently there are 1,1 million internally displaced persons (IDP) in the country. Certain parts of the country, namely Puntland, could face flash floods in the months to come as a result of the weather phenomenon El Niño. Finally, the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) has announced that 850,000 people across Somalia will be in crisis and emergency through December 2015. Assistance, in the form of income generation and job creation, is therefore greatly needed.

The project “Conflict Prevention and Social Stabilization through Gender Sensitive Bossaso Market Rehabilitation and Entrepreneurship Development” (April 2015-March 2016), financed by the United Nations for Projects Office (UNOPS), was launched in April 2015 for a duration of 10 months in the port city of Bosasso, Puntland State in Somalia, to respond to this situation.

This project has a double objective, the first being the physical rehabilitation of the Bossaso general market (hard component), and the second a contribution to the self-sufficiency of traders, in particular women, in this market (soft component).

The Japanese Centre for Conflict Prevention (JCCP), with its partner in the field, the Observatory for Conflict and Violence Prevention (OCVP), a research and training institute based within Hargeisa University and operating in Puntland since 2009, is responsible for this second objective of empowering traders and supporting business initiatives in the Bossaso community.

Concretely, in order to reach this objective JCCP and OCVP will carry out capacity development activities such as training workshops, consulting and referral services, the provision of business starter/brush-up kits, and a business forum. To ensure that these activities fit the needs of the beneficiaries of the project an extensive area based needs analysis is being undertaken in the form of focus group discussions and key informant interviews to understand the current dynamics of this market area.

JCCP and OCVP have included the participation and/or consultation of local authorities in the different steps of the project execution such as for example the participation of staff members from the line ministry in field data collection and entry date with a special focus on gender/conflict sensitivity as sustainable measures.
Through this project JCCP demonstrates once more its skills in the field of peace and security, gender mainstreaming and woman empowerment, reaching the neediest populations within countries in complex emergencies, such as Somalia, thanks to its strategic partnerships with local organizations.

The photo below was taken during a focus group discussion