The African Development Bank Group, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency and the Federal Government of Somalia, have launched a landmark project to advance long-term solutions for thousands of displaced people and host communities in the southern town of Doolow, in Gedo region.
Valued at $20.55 million, the Strengthening Urban Resilience of Displaced and Host Communities in Doolow (SURDHT) project aims to improve the living conditions of internally displaced persons in four urban IDP settlements across Doolow by facilitating their integration into the host community with improved housing, water, sanitation and enhanced livelihood opportunities.
Specifically, the project will promote gender equality, women's empowerment, and youth leadership through enhanced skills development and entrepreneurship opportunities; support resilience building to climate shocks through enhanced climate change adaptation and mitigation measures; support sustainable access to basic infrastructure in IDPs settlements; and improve government capacity to coordinate integration activities for IDPs, including land administration, conflict mitigation and social cohesion.
"This investment illustrates how the Federal Government of Somalia, working with its citizens, is shifting its response to displacement towards lasting outcomes," said Alex Mubiru, Director General for the Bank's East Africa regional office, an approach in which, he says, the country moves from fragility to stability and from vulnerability to dignity, grounded in national leadership. "With secure land tenure, climate-resilient housing, and livelihood opportunities for women and youth, Somali communities in Doolow are building resilience and restoring opportunity."
Somalia continues to face complex challenges driven by cycles of extreme weather and conflicts that have stripped people of their capacities to support themselves and increased their reliance on humanitarian aid. The SURDHT initiative addresses these by strengthening national capacity and ownership of essential services, sustainable investment to strengthen community reliance, fostering shared resources between displaced populations and host communities, and reducing secondary displacement.
Currently, more than 3.9 million Somalis are internally displaced, the second largest in the eastern and southern Africa region.
"The launch of the SURDHT project signifies a significant milestone in the Federal Government of Somalia's dedication to fostering durable solutions for internally displaced persons and enhancing the resilience of host communities," said Somalia's Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre, during the launch event. "In Doolow, this initiative is poised to improve access to housing, water, sanitation, livelihoods, and social services, while also advancing dignity, self-reliance, and social cohesion. The Government regards durable solutions not merely as a humanitarian imperative but as a fundamental component of state-building, stability, and inclusive development."
Jing Song, UNHCR Somalia Deputy Representative and Officer-in-Charge, called the project "an entry point" to advancing sustainable solutions. "Beyond addressing immediate humanitarian needs, it is essential to invest in sustainable livelihoods and resilience through the humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach," she said.
The Strengthening Urban Resilience of Displaced and Host Communities in Doolow project will be implemented by the National Centre for Rural Development and Durable Solutions in partnership with IOM, the UN Migration Agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN HABITAT, UN Women. The project is part of a broader initiative supported by the AfDB Group, under the Transition Support Facility, emphasising the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to ensure long-term stability in the Horn of Africa.
