Hiiraan Online
Friday, April 24, 2015
MOGADISHU (HOL) ---Somalia's cabinet has taken an unusual step aimed at curbing the flow of foreign workers arriving in the war-torn country, passing a draft law prioritizing locals more willingly than foreigners.
In a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Somalia's cabinet minister passed a draft law ordering all employers to avoid hiring foreigners for job that can be covered by Somalis.
The development is parts of series of steps aimed at stemming the high rate of unemployment in the horn of African nation which is recovering from decades of war.
In a statement issued after the meeting, foreign workers were instructed to obtain visas and licenses before undertaking any work in Somalia.
The draft law which is awaiting for parliamentary approval is a major step by the Somali government which is struggling to contain deadly insurgency by the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab group in Somalia.
The news has positive reactions across Somalia, with many hailed the government for the new draft law which they said can help them to get jobs, and reduce the high number of foreigners working in Somalia.
Extreme poverty and lack of employment opportunities leave many young Somalis with few prospects for the future. Over 70% of Somalia's population is under the age of thirty. However, the unemployment rate for youth in Somalia is 67% --one of the highest in the world, according to the World Bank.
Development indicators in Somalia remain among the worst in the world. One in seven children die before their first birthday; one in eighteen women die in childbirth; and only one in three people have access to safe drinking water. Global acute malnutrition levels among internally displaced persons are above global emergency levels of 15 per cent.