JNKE- Jubbaland State Aid Coordination and Management Policy

The European Union – Somalia Technical Assistance and Partnership Facility (TAPF) is a five-year initiative designed to support the European Union Delegation (EUD) to Somalia’s engagement in, and cooperation with, the Federal Republic of Somalia, and to expedite progress towards achievement of the 2030 global Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

The project is being implemented through a service contract, signed between the EUD and DAI Global Belgium, and operates from DAIs offices in Mogadishu and Nairobi.

The project duration was initially scheduled to run for 36 months, from 1st January 2024 through to 31st December 2026, but this was subsequently extended to 31st December 2028.

Jubbaland State, located in southern Somalia, is a Federal Member State (FMS) established under Somalia’s federal system of governance. It comprises the regions of Gedo, Lower Jubba and Middle Jubba, with Kismayo as its administrative capital. 

The state is strategically located, sharing international borders with Kenya to the west and Ethiopia to the north, and has access to the Indian Ocean through its port city of Kismayo. This unique geographical location provides economic opportunities with respect to trade, agriculture, livestock production, fisheries, and other forms of cross-border commerce.

Unfortunately, despite these several advantages, Jubbaland exists in a complex development context, characterised by post-conflict recovery challenges, fragile governance institutions and underdeveloped infrastructure, resulting in limited access to basic services for its population, further exacerbated by climate-related shocks. In addition, the region continues to experience insecurity due to the presence of the al-Shabaab (aS) terror group, though recent progress in security stabilisation and state-building has created a more “enabling environment” for constructive development planning.

In this context, in 2025, the Jubbaland State Government embarked on preparation of a State Development Plan (SDP), which was to be the third SDP in the sequence, and was to provide a foundational framework to guide the state’s development trajectory over the next five years (2026 – 2030). In doing so, the SDP-3 was expected to articulate Jubbaland’s strategic vision and priorities, in alignment with the Somali National Transformation Plan (NTP) 2025-2029 and the broader national development agenda. 

The finished SDP-3 provides a roadmap for economic growth, service delivery, peacebuilding and climate resilience, which was informed by sectoral assessments, robust stakeholder consultations and detailed data analysis. 

The plan aims to enhance government leadership, provide a clear sense of direction, donor alignment, and accountability in development programming. The SDP-3 should, therefore, serve as both a strategic guide for public investment and as a tool for mobilising national and international support for the realisation of Jubbaland’s development priorities.

To complement and support effective implementation and tracking of the SDP-3, MoPIIC is currently developing a State Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework that will guide performance tracking, results measurement, reporting and institutional learning across sectors.

Against this backdrop of development planning and monitoring, Jubbaland continues to receive a substantial amount of support from development partners, UN agencies and non-governmental organisations. 

While this assistance is essential to advance preferred development outcomes, it is often characterised by fragmentation, limited alignment with government priorities and weak visibility, with respect to aid flows. Indeed, in the absence of a comprehensive policy framework, coordination mechanisms remain largely ad hoc, with no standardised system for tracking, approving, and monitoring externally funded interventions.

To address these challenges, MoPIIC seeks to develop an Aid Coordination and Management Policy: a structured, government-led framework guiding all external assistance in Jubbaland, to strengthen leadership, improve alignment with the SDP-3 and ensure development assistance delivers sustainable, measurable results for the people of Jubbaland State.

Specifically: as global assistance to Somalia declines (with the consequences of this decline felt particularly acutely in Jubbaland), effective use of remaining resources becomes critical. Unfortunately, systemic failures in the local aid architecture serve to undermine the impact of the aid still available. E.g.:

-    Aid interventions are rarely aligned with state development priorities, as defined in the SDP-3, limiting strategic coherence and benefits. 

-    Government oversight of donor-funded projects remains weak, reducing accountability.

-    Coordination among development stakeholders is fragmented, and in some areas, largely absent. 

-    There is no centralised system for tracking aid flows or monitoring project implementation.

-    Duplication of efforts and uneven geographic coverage leave critical gaps (sectoral and geographic) unaddressed. 

-     Reporting and accountability mechanisms vary widely among ministries, making performance assessment variable and unreliable.

These challenges collectively undermine the effectiveness, transparency and long-term sustainability of development efforts in and across the state. 

Thus, the objective of the proposed Development of an Aid Coordination and Management Policy assignment is to: 

“establish a comprehensive framework enabling the Government of Jubbaland State to effectively coordinate, manage and oversee all external assistance in alignment with state development priorities”.

As indicated above, the overall objective of the assignment is to establish systems through which to “coordinate, manage and oversee” external aid flows. Meanwhile, specific objectives are to:

• Ensure alignment of all aid interventions with SDP-3 identified priorities.
• Establish clear institutional roles and coordination structures.
• Develop systems to track, monitor and report on aid flows, and project outcomes.
• Reduce duplication and enhance efficiency among development interventions.
• Strengthen government leadership and ownership of the development agenda.
• Improve transparency and accountability in the use of external resources.

Topics to be addressed in the policy will include: 

• Project identification and alignment procedures;
• Approval and registration procedures;
• Implementation and coordination procedures;
• Monitoring, evaluation and reporting procedures.

Specifically, and in greater detail, the policy will generate the following outcomes:

• Institutional Framework - Defining the mandate of MoPIIC and identifying relevant and viable coordination structures through which to oversee external assistance.
• Coordination Structures - Establishment of sector working groups and inter-agency coordination platforms through which to realise structured, inclusive partner engagement.
• Enhancing the Jubbaland Aid Information Management System (JAIMS) - Strengthening the centralised, digital platform for real-time tracking of aid flows and project implementation across Jubbaland State.
• Project Cycle Management Guidelines - Compilation of standard procedures for governing project identification, approval, implementation and reporting activities.
• Partnership Principles - Enhancing coordination through strengthening alignment, harmonisation and mutual accountability among development partners.
• Monitoring, Evaluation, Transparency and Accountability - Introducing mechanisms to track results, measure aid effectiveness and promote open access to aid information, through transparent and accountable systems use.

Stakeholders covered by the intervention will comprise all partners providing international and external humanitarian and development assistance to Jubbaland State, including:

• Bilateral and multilateral donors;
• United Nations agencies;
• International and national NGOs;
• Private sector partners engaged in development cooperation.

Participants in the policy development process will also include staff from the Ministry of Planning, Investment and International Cooperation (MoPIIC), departmental directors and technical staff from line ministries (especially planning, monitoring and policy officers), staff of independent government agencies, as well as selected representatives from civil society organisations.

The “policy development” STA will work with and be based in the Jubbaland Ministry of Planning, Investment and International Cooperation (MoPIIC) in Kismayo, and will liaise and coordinate with other relevant state institutions and non-state actors, such as members of the Ministry Technical Team, civil society organisations and interest groups, the private sector and the business community, as required. 

Development of an Aid Coordination and Management Policy will constitute a critical advance toward strengthening governance, improving aid effectiveness and ensuring that external support contributes effectively to Jubbaland's development priorities. 

By streamlining, codifying and institutionalising coordination and management mechanisms, the Jubbaland Ministry of Planning, Investment and International Cooperation / Government of Jubbaland will enhance its leadership role, improve accountability, and maximise the impact of development assistance for the benefit of the citizens of Jubbaland State.

The assignment is expected to unfold as set out in the implementation timetable presented below:

Week 1 (5 days each) 

-    Inception meetings with MoPIIC and stakeholders

-    Desk review

-    Support drafting of the work plan

-    Prepare a policy “launch event” 

Week 2 (5 days each) 

-    Co-facilitate policy launch event

-    Draft an assignment roadmap

-    Conduct FGDs and KIIs

-    Provide support to an “internal validation” exercise 

Week 3 (5 days each)   

-    Support the convening of multi-stakeholder consultation workshops

-    Document consultation workshops

Week 4 (5 days each)  

-    Conduct district-level consultation workshops in:

-    Dolow 

-    Dhobley

-    Garboharey 

Week 5 (5 days: STA only)    N/A

Week 6 (5 days: STA only)    N/A

Week 7 (3 days each)  
-    Conduct an internal review of the policy draft

-    Assist with draft refinement

Week 8 (3 days each)   

-    Support workshop preparation and logistics

Week 9 (2 days for STA only)    -    N/A

Week 10 (2 days for STA only)    -    N/A

Week 11 (5 days for the STA and 2 days for the JNKE)  

-    Support preparation of training workshop

Week 12 (5 days for the STA and 2 days for the JNKE) 

 -    Support development of policy implementation plan

-    Policy dissemination (national and district levels)

-    Support delivery of additional awareness raising sessions

The Junior Non-key Expert (JNKE) for Development of a Jubbaland State Aid Coordination and Management Policy should possess the following qualifications and experience:

• A university degree (a master’s is preferred but not required) in one of the following fields: Public Policy or Strategic Policy Development, Project Planning and Management, Business Administration or Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, or a related field. 
• Three (3) or more years of practical work experience in an advisory or management capacity, as a consultant with an international development organisation, private sector company, non-governmental organisation or government institution, such as a university or college, including at least one (1) previous assignment as either a policy development or planning assistant, helping to prepare policy documents and / or institutional plans. 
• Previous work experience as a TA (technical assistant), embedded within a host government department, leading development programmes, and / or drafting policies, planning documents or developing training programmes / curricula. 
• Previous experience (in at least two (2) work assignments) conducting comprehensive consultation and / or training workshops, inclusive in-depth knowledge and use of relevant information technology software and tuition tools. 
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent written and spoken / verbal communication skills, in both English and Somali.
• Strong organisational and logistical skills.
• Extensive knowledge of the local (Somali) development context, particularly in Kismayo / Jubbaland, and the current “development” situation, as defined in the Jubbaland State Development Plan III.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and to manage work-related stress.

The role is expected to commence in July 2026 (subject to continued need and resource availability), and to be implemented as a single, continuous assignment, counting from the date of first deployment of the expert.  

Input: A maximum of 30 working days, delivered over an indicative period of approximately three (3) months (subject to operating conditions).