Executive Summary

This report presents the findings of a study conducted in the federal member states of Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, South West and Jubbaland as well as the Banadir region. It is part of a wider research project on the state of human capital development in Somalia, with a special emphasis on the important sectors of agriculture, education, fisheries, health, livestock and labor. The project, funded by the Somalia Stability Fund (SSF), was implemented by a consortium comprising the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS) and City University (CU) – Mogadishu. The overall objective was to develop an inclusive, indigenous and sustainable human capital development strategy for Somalia based on the outcomes of detailed assessments of relevant sectoral components. This strategy is intended to serve as a guide for Somali authorities and their development partners when drafting national human resources development policies for the individual sectors.

This study assesses the current status of the fisheries sector. It looks at: existing skills development initiatives and their relevance to the needs of the sector; local institutions of higher learning and the quality of their fisheries-related academic programs; other providers of training relevant to fisheries; the job readiness of local graduates; and challenges affecting human capital development in this sector. The study employed a combination of techniques to collect qualitative and quantitative data including key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs) and observations. The study conducted a total of 16 KIIs and 14 FGDs involving 107 individuals selected to represent a wide range of stakeholders in the fisheries sector and academia.