USAID was dismantled, impact on Somalia ?

[NordicSomali]

Somalia has been one the top recipients of the agency’s funds for years, $1.05 billion in 2023 and $369 million in 2022. Assuming that no one else plugs this gigantic hole, what are the impacts going to be?

 

[Ashraf]

Long term- positive, people will be forced to purchase from local farmers who will expand their business due to increased capital and bring in much needed tax revenue. Will also increase political accountability
Short term- disaster and starvation as we’re not yet food sustainable or have the capacity to feed our entire nation.

 

[FBIsomalia]

Somalia has been one the top recipients of the agency’s funds for years, $1.05 billion in 2023 and $369 million in 2022. Assuming that no one else plugs this gigantic hole, what are the impacts going to be?

Puntland will not affect, thanks to moryaans by blocking our aid all those years.

 

[Espaa_]

The newest form of aid will now be the diaspora. The government will probably ask us all to come back. I can see him going through with that plan to repatriate all somali german asylum seekers in exchange for a hefty sum of money

 

[Aurelian]

Long term- positive, people will be forced to purchase from local farmers who will expand their business due to increased capital and bring in much needed tax revenue. Will also increase political accountability
Short term- disaster and starvation as we’re not yet food sustainable or have the capacity to feed our entire nation.

What to do when there is no rain for 2 years?

 

[Hassan Garguute Buldanana]

Going without rain for a long period will be the biggest problem. Inshallah it continues to rain. We cannot progress with the begging bowl. It has to end at some point

 

[Thegoodshepherd]

it means starvation. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis will die in the next decade as a result of a lack of food and medical care.

 

[Bahal]

The newest form of aid will now be the diaspora. The government will probably ask us all to come back. I can see him going through with that plan to repatriate all somali german asylum seekers in exchange for a hefty sum of money

I often wonder what the folks back home will do when the only generation that sends remittances home start to die off.

Somalis in the West send something like $1.5b back home every year, which is like 30% of our entire GDP.

Do you think some diaspora kid who grew up in Minneapolis or London is going to send half his check to relatives he's never met?

It's so over.

 

[Espaa_]

I often wonder what the folks back home will do when the only generation that sends remittances home start to die off.

Somalis in the West send something like $1.5b back home every year, which is like 30% of our entire GDP.

Do you think some diaspora kid who grew up in Minneapolis or London is going to send half his check to relatives he's never met?

It's so over.

I think we somalis are very adaptive. Whether back home or in the diaspora a new sort of communication will occur between the two especially with the rising tensions in the west. Also as muslims we have to fulfil the right of sadaqah so I think something could be formed from that.

i believe the government will now turn its fangs toward the diaspora. These people depend on our money for survival.

i just dont get how when we send money back home, fgs taxes the residents and takes away that hard earned money. A new initiative needs to take place in which we govern our remittance money without the government getting involved. A sort of a diaspora government that can rival FGS and other regional leaders but from the shadows

Also how tf are we contibuting 1 billion to an economy thats basically nonexistent. That money can rebuild a whole fucking army, navy AND air force whilst also creating free healthcare and free schooling AND regreening desertified areas. Wtf?

 

[The truth seeker]

Foreign aid is taking money from poor people in rich countries and giving it to rich people in poor countries lazy people back home need to feel real pain only way things will improve in Somalia no more money from relatives in the west you have to be self reliant

Thank you trump my tax money will no longer be funding HSMs seven course meals

 

[The truth seeker]

I often wonder what the folks back home will do when the only generation that sends remittances home start to die off.

Somalis in the West send something like $1.5b back home every year, which is like 30% of our entire GDP.

Do you think some diaspora kid who grew up in Minneapolis or London is going to send half his check to relatives he's never met?

It's so over.

Good lazy Somalis need to feel a lot of pain droughts , mass starvations etc we need our own Mao

30 years later still a failed state ridiculous we are a joke nation and people

 

[Espaa_]

I often wonder what the folks back home will do when the only generation that sends remittances home start to die off.

Somalis in the West send something like $1.5b back home every year, which is like 30% of our entire GDP.

Do you think some diaspora kid who grew up in Minneapolis or London is going to send half his check to relatives he's never met?

It's so over.

The government is in control of the economy and I believe has more than enough. In 2024 the total budget was 1.078 billion.

300 million shouldve been put into the armies all across somalia.

200 million shouldve been put into infrastructure

100 million is MORE THAN ENOUGH for free education for children until the age of 16. Every single child in poverty forced into education with those that can pay should pay.

The rest should be put into reserves all over the country. every state should have their share in case of a drought. This will help the government and not overwhelm them as each region can act by itself when in times of need.

No showing off. No pandering to the public. Getting everything done quick and simple. Federalism can work nicely with a strong president and can soften the load on the government.

1 billion is enough to stabilise the country in 5 years.

 

[rin]

People are forgetting that remittances are sent to family members, not the entire country. The government can't use that money; it can only use the taxes on it, and everyone knows how pathetic the governments are at taxing the population.

It should just focus all the government funds they have currently into a good army. Somalia's biggest issue is how unstable it is; without a lot more centralization no effective governance can be done.

Also, I think that the fact that USAID is gone is a good thing, it subsidised a government that would not survive without foreign aid, let's be real, the Mogadishu government doesn't control most of the country, and its policies work against the well-being of Somalia. The only people who have benefited are the presidents and their families.

i hope this foreign aid freeze incentivizes the population to actually take a bigger interest in their politics and demand more from the government, be it an Islamic state a la Iran or a secular state like the ones most of us live in. but the current situation cant go on for much longer.

 

[NordicSomali]

People are forgetting that remittances are sent to family members, not the entire country. The government can't use that money; it can only use the taxes on it, and everyone knows how pathetic the governments are at taxing the population.

It should just focus all the government funds they have currently into a good army. Somalia's biggest issue is how unstable it is; without a lot more centralization no effective governance can be done.

Also, I think that the fact that USAID is gone is a good thing, it subsidised a government that would not survive without foreign aid, let's be real, the Mogadishu government doesn't control most of the country, and its policies work against the well-being of Somalia. The only people who have benefited are the presidents and their families.

i hope this foreign aid freeze incentivizes the population to actually take a bigger interest in their politics and demand more from the government, be it an Islamic state a la Iran or a secular state like the ones most of us live in. but the current situation cant go on for much longer.

It’s not a democracy so can the people pressure the politicians to improve things?

 

[rin]

It’s not a democracy so can the people pressure the politicians to improve things?

In some ways, non-democracies are easier to change than democracies. especially because people hold no illusions about their choice being the reason for something. But I'd say it's different for Somalia and Somaliland because nominally we still vote even if nothing changes.

But honestly, we still could change things through protest, take a look at the arab spring, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh for example. If that didn't work, they should just go outside the system and create their own illegal parties. The only reason why the Chinese communist party even popped up was because of how bad the situation was in republican china. the solution to our political problems is a more politically active population that cares about policies more than qabil and holds their politicians accountable. that's kind of farfetched but not impossible.

 

[AbdiBashirJR]

I think we somalis are very adaptive. Whether back home or in the diaspora a new sort of communication will occur between the two especially with the rising tensions in the west. Also as muslims we have to fulfil the right of sadaqah so I think something could be formed from that.

i believe the government will now turn its fangs toward the diaspora. These people depend on our money for survival.

i just dont get how when we send money back home, fgs taxes the residents and takes away that hard earned money. A new initiative needs to take place in which we govern our remittance money without the government getting involved. A sort of a diaspora government that can rival FGS and other regional leaders but from the shadows

Also how tf are we contibuting 1 billion to an economy thats basically nonexistent. That money can rebuild a whole fucking army, navy AND air force whilst also creating free healthcare and free schooling AND regreening desertified areas. Wtf?

fgs doesnt tax anywhere outside of mogadishu

 

[Espaa_]

fgs doesnt tax anywhere outside of mogadishu

Yes sorry I forgot to specifically say mogadishu*** sorry for not adding that in

 

[AbdiBashirJR]

Good lazy Somalis need to feel a lot of pain droughts , mass starvations etc we need our own Mao

30 years later still a failed state ridiculous we are a joke nation and people

corny ass take, why dont you starve for the country since its so willing, or is that only for the locals back home who's lives you dont value. well there has been droughts in 2011 260,0000 died from famine, i hope thats enough for you.

I hate when folks treat locals back home who are trying to survive and make best of a difficult situation guilty of problems that are caused by the elites in power

 

[Riftvalley]

it means starvation. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis will die in the next decade as a result of a lack of food and medical care.

Black Somali Zionist scaremongering.

 

[rin]

corny ass take, why dont you starve for the country since its so willing, or is that only for the locals back home who's lives you dont value. well there has been droughts in 2011 260,0000 died from famine, i hope thats enough for you.

I hate when folks treat locals back home who are trying to survive and make best of a difficult situation guilty of problems that are caused by the elites in power

I agree, its very unempathetic and short-sighted. especially considering somali's in the west actually do add to the qabilism. Also qabilism is actually a product of our terrain, because of the scarcity of water and vegetation in Somalia means that the pastoralist communities have to fight over resources and land. in more forgiving terrains you don't see the same amount of fighting.

The lives of Somalis in Somalia are quite unfortunate and a result of bad policy and chronic instability, but they stay very entrepreneurial and make the best of their situation.

Actually, a summer in Somaliland and Ethiopia made me into a communist; it was very eye-opening, especially as a diaspora. The amount of poverty I saw was enraging, especially in "stable and democratic" Somaliland.