HanVard has a wealth of experience in the field of private sector development, institutional strengthening, public administration and consulting and has provided investment advisory to some of the key banks and business in Somalia.
Private sector Development, Business partnerships & Platform for investment.
HanVard provided support to the implementation of IFC/World Bank projects in Somalia/Somaliland related to improving the investment climate and doing business reforms- we implemented selected Investment Climate (IC) reforms in Somalia/Somaliland since 2015.
HanVard implemented reforms such as:
Doing Business (DB) Reforms
Including support for streamlining of the business entry registration process through establishment of a One Stop Shop service.
Commercial law reform
Including formulation of an MSME policy, trade policy, electricity energy act, amendments to the companies act, industrialization policy.
Inclusive Public Private Dialogue (PPD)
Platforms, both sector and economy-wide, to champion economic reforms in Hargeisa and Mogadishu. HanVard team have supported the Economic Sector Coordination meetings since 2015, which is one of the first PPD platforms at national level ever established in Somaliland.
Facilitation and drafting
of Somaliland National Investment Policy Statement (NIPS) and draft Investment Policy (IP) in order to improve Somaliland’s investment policy and promotion framework.
Awards and Supported enhancement of Somaliland’s/Somalia’s
Chamber of Commerce on policy advocacy, capacity including supported identification of reform recommendations and framing of chamber policy positions on key policy issues related to private sector.
Getting Mogadishu back on the global map of reformers.
Despite the challenges of operating in Mogadishu, with our support, WB staff and consultants have concluded an extensive Doing business survey to add Mogadishu to the DB survey in 2017.
Conferencing & facilitation
HanVard co-sponsored and co-facilitated an open debate with the Nairobi Forum. The subject of the discussion was Is Somalia/Somaliland ready for international investment? Various trade representatives from foreign embassies, international, regional and local companies participated in the dialogue. (HanVard sponsored, Nairobi Forum hosted by Rift Valley Institute.
Institutional Strengthening & Capacity Building
HanVard has undertaken capacity building and support to the Somalia Chamber of Commerce. We have helped them restructure and reform the chamber. Through the capacity support provided by HanVard, the Chamber of Commerce was able to increase services and membership from 200 companies to 800 companies. The Chamber of Commerce was also able to participate in investment promotion in various forums and sign collaborations agreement with various international organizations, associations and chambers of commerce in Africa, Europe and Asia.
HanVard conducted and facilitated the First Somali Reconstruction and Investment Conference in 2013 (SORIC):
This started as an initiative with UNDP Somalia with initial focus on Private sector development strategy through consultations and dialogue with stakeholders. The outcome of this became a joint public and private sector funded and supported initiative platform in the first Somali reconstruction and investment conference and exhibition. A milestone was achieved and over 3600 people participated in the two-day extensive program. A number of resolutions were agreed, and USD 1.5 billion dollars of potential investment was leveraged during the conference and exhibition.
HanVard undertook the Somali Producers Conference and Exhibition in United Arab Emirates in 2014
HanVard and UN FAO jointly convened (also supported by UNDP PREP, UKAID(Dfid) and sponsored by EU) an extensive event which combined full conference and exhibition of Somali products from all parts of the country, including Somaliland and Puntland. There we two main outcomes of this initiative: Investment and business opportunities for Somali producers and support sector. For Example, among others, A franchises company in Somaliland (Maidi) won USD 6 million dollar contract of supplying indigenous products to USA based company (Young Living); Fruit-Som won three start up contracts to supply banana to Middle East, the first in about 20 years; International bank of Somali singed Tractor Dealership deal with Al-Futain.