Somalia Orders Competitive Recruitment for Senior Civil Service Posts

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: The federal government ofSomalia is moving to make competition and professional qualifications the basis for filling senior civil service positions, with Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre ordering ministries and government agencies to begin implementing the new approach.

The first phase, due to start on 20 September, will focus on director-level positions across federal institutions. The Civil Service Commission has been tasked with assessing candidates against criteria including competence, knowledge, experience, leadership and performance.

The move places the recruitment of senior administrators at the centre of the government’s broader effort to strengthen the federal civil service and build more consistent leadership within state institutions.

Under the directive, ministries and agencies must fill director positions through open competition, while serving civil servants who meet the requirements are to be given an equal opportunity to apply. Other vacant government positions are also to be filled competitively in line with existing laws and regulations.

The prime minister said directors play a central role in translating government policies and plans into programmes and services, making the quality and continuity of administrative leadership important to the functioning of state institutions.

The directive cites Article 161(1) of Somalia’s Constitution, the Civil Service Law and regulations governing the federal public service as the legal basis for the process.

It comes after several years of efforts by the federal government to establish laws, policies and institutional frameworks governing the civil service. The latest instruction seeks to apply those reforms more directly to senior administrative appointments.

The government has previously relied on direct appointments for some senior posts. Prime Minister Barre appointed three director generals on 6 August, while a permanent secretary was also appointed to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs this month.

The new process therefore introduces a competitive route for a category of positions that has also been filled through direct appointment.

The Civil Service Commission will oversee the initial exercise from 20 September, while ministries and government agencies have been instructed to implement the directive without delay.

The government says the broader objective is to develop a professional and permanent administrative leadership capable of maintaining institutional continuity and delivering government policies and services to the public.