Top officials led by the Vice-President of Puntland, Mr. Hassan Dahir Mohamoud, on Saturday opened a new housing project for the urban poor and people displaced by conflict. With funding provided by the Government of Japan, UN-HABITAT, local authorities and NGOs are building new homes for people displaced by the Somali conflict and the urban poor in Garowe, the capital of the northern Puntland region. The Minister of Local Governance and Rural Development, Mr. Ali Abi Aware, said was glad to see the visible outcome of the UN-HABITAT-led project. UN-HABITAT is introducing several innovative techniques to the area. Beneficiaries were selected by a steering committee composed of key traditional leaders and the municipality. The self-help housing approach should give government and local organisations an example of how displaced persons and urban poor can be integrated in the city, rather than being relocated to far-off sites, and at the same time increase their livelihood opportunities. The first 100 houses are expected to be completed in coming months. |
