The Federal Government of Somalia presents the ninth National Development Plan (NDP-9), 2020-2024, which provides the nation with a path leading to economic growth and reduction of poverty within the next five years. Somalia has a long tradition of national planning, stretching back decades. NDP-9 builds on the progress of and lessons learned from the eighth NDP (NPD-8), which is set to expire at the end of this year. Its goal is to reduce poverty and inequality through inclusive economic growth and employment, improved security and rule of law, and strengthened political stability. Somalia’s recent history of conflict is well-known. Less well-known, perhaps, is the development progress made by the country over the past seven years. In this regard, Somalia has taken important steps towards the establishment of a federal system of government and sound fiscal and monetary systems, which have supported moderate recent economic growth (approximately 3 percent GDP annual growth in 2018). A stronger government has been met with encouraging signs of community reconciliation and an enhanced capacity for local governance in many regions across the nation. However, while these signs of development are hopeful, many challenges remain. Recent economic growth has not been enough to lift living standards significantly and poverty remains high. As a result, Somalia’s key human development indicators are amongst the lowest in the world. Therefore, NDP-9 outlines an extensive poverty analysis diagnosing many of its root causes, including conflict, political instability, climate-related disaster and a still weak economy. Somalia also carries substantial international debt obligations that threaten to hinder development and burden future generations. The completion of NDP-9 as a compliant interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (iPRSP) will allow Somalia to seek debt relief as part of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative, which in itself will be a significant milestone in the country’s process of poverty reduction. In line with the guiding principles for iPRSPs, NDP-9:

• Has been Somalia-driven and based on broad participation of Somalis through stakeholder consultations across regions;
• Has a medium to long-term perspective in terms of its developmental vision and strategic interventions;
• Is built on a comprehensive multidimensional poverty reduction strategy with sustainable inclusive growth and economic diversification at its heart;
• Is results-focused, with a feasible and clear monitoring and evaluation framework, to ensure that limited resources available are allocated to those interventions with the largest potential impact.

As an interim PRSP, the scope for both development targets and government reform is more conservative in NPD-9 than it would be in a full poverty reduction plan. In this regard, the aims of NDP-9 are to show progress in the right direction in key national priorities. The intent, therefore, is to monitor and adjust the plan, including baselines, targets and interventions, over its implementation and as data becomes available.