Why Somalia's central delivery unit is a turning point in governance

 

The creation of Somalia’s Central Delivery Unit (CDU) is a bold statement of intent. It reflects a government ready to move beyond fragile-state patterns of promises and delays, and instead to embrace a disciplined culture of execution, accountability, and measurable results. Inaugurated on August 23, 2025, by the President and Prime Minister, the CDU marks the first time in Somalia’s history that a central mechanism has been established to ensure that national priorities are translated into action with speed and precision.

This launch is not an isolated reform. It is the cornerstone of Somalia’s wider transformation agenda, anchored in the National Transformation Plan (NTP) 2025–2029 and the Centennial Vision 2060. Together, these frameworks define the country’s “True North”—a future characterised by job creation, increased investment, and sustained GDP growth. They also provide the blueprint for Somalia’s post-HIPC trajectory, ensuring that the benefits of debt relief are directed toward building an inclusive, resilient economy. In this sense, the CDU is more than a delivery mechanism; it is the institutional bridge between aspiration and tangible outcomes.

The NTP projects Somalia’s economy to expand from USD 14.2 billion by 2029. Such a leap requires more than strategy; it demands relentless monitoring, problem-solving, and cross-government coordination. This is precisely the CDU’s mandate. It consolidates progress across more than 110 priority projects, ensures real-time tracking through weekly dashboards and scorecards, and escalates bottlenecks to the highest levels of leadership. Starting in October 2025, sectoral dashboards will be submitted weekly to the Prime Minister and President, giving Somalia’s leadership—and its citizens—unprecedented visibility into government performance.

The early signs of this new culture of accountability are already visible. In August 2025, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre chaired a Cabinet Accountability Session, where ministers presented their performance against NTP commitments. Earlier, the Mid-Term Ministerial Review (January–June 2025) established a baseline for tracking annual progress. These sessions, reinforced by the CDU’s systematic reporting, represent a historic departure from abstract commitments to a model where delivery is measurable, transparent, and subject to review.

Beyond its reporting functions, the CDU is reshaping the public sector itself. It is supported by the establishment of Ministerial Delivery Units (MDUs) across key ministries, each responsible for daily coordination, updating dashboards, and escalating unresolved issues. Staffing of these units follows a transparent, merit-based recruitment process, with candidates tested for analytical skills, problem-solving, and collaborative leadership. This professionalisation of delivery capacity signals the government’s determination to embed performance culture deep within the machinery of the state.

Somalia’s adoption of the delivery unit model also places it within a global network of reformers. From the United Kingdom’s pioneering Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit to Malaysia’s PEMANDU, Rwanda’s Government Action Coordination Unit, and Saudi Arabia’s central delivery system, these institutions have consistently helped governments bridge the gap between policy and impact. Somalia’s CDU joins this tradition but under unique circumstances: a fragile, post-conflict context where governance reform is not simply desirable but existential. This makes Somalia’s CDU a potential global case study in how delivery models can succeed under pressure and fragility.

Equally important, the CDU is not just about the present. It aligns immediate execution with long-term ambition. By ensuring NTP commitments are achieved, the CDU helps lay the foundation for Vision 2060—Somalia’s centennial blueprint to become a prosperous middle-income nation. Without the CDU, such goals risk remaining aspirational. With it, they are systematically pursued, tracked, and delivered.

The CDU’s creation is therefore more than an institutional milestone—it is a symbol of Somalia’s renewal. It reassures citizens that government commitments will be followed through. It reassures partners and investors that Somalia is serious about transformation, not only in policy but in practice. Most importantly, it establishes delivery as the ultimate test of governance.

As Prime Minister Hamza reminded his Cabinet during the recent accountability session: “progress without delivery is insufficient.” With the CDU now operational, Somalia has equipped itself with the tools to turn words into action, strategies into projects, and ambitions into realities. This is the turning point when Somalia’s transformation stopped being a plan on paper and became a process of delivery in motion.