Southwest State President Names New Cabinet after Inauguration

GOOBJOOG NEWS | BAIDOA: Southwest State president Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur “Madobe”, has appointed a new cabinet, days after beginning a fresh term in office, in a move aimed at setting the course for the regional administration’s governance agenda.

A presidential decree named a cabinet comprising 26 ministers, three state ministers and 22 deputy ministers to oversee the administration’s key government institutions.

The appointments come four days after Madobe was sworn in for a new term during a ceremony in Baidoa attended by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and leaders of Somalia’s Federal Member States, highlighting the political importance of the regional administration within the country’s federal system.

The formation of the cabinet is one of the first major decisions of Madobe’s new administration and clears the way for the regional government to begin implementing its policy agenda. The new team is expected to focus on security, governance, public service delivery and development, issues that remain central to Southwest State, where authorities continue to confront the threat posed by Al-Shabaab while pursuing reconstruction and economic recovery.

Southwest State, which encompasses the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions, is strategically important in Somalia’s efforts to stabilise areas affected by the insurgency. The region hosts key transport corridors and agricultural areas and has been the focus of military operations by Somali security forces and allied local fighters in recent years.

The cabinet appointments also come as Somalia continues broader state-building efforts, with both the federal government and regional administrations seeking to strengthen public institutions and improve coordination on security and development under the country’s federal framework.

The names of the newly appointed ministers are expected to be submitted to the regional parliament in line with Southwest State’s constitutional procedures before the cabinet begins its work.