The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Michael Keating, held discussions with the top leadership of Jubbaland administration on security and socioeconomic development issues and the forthcoming electoral process during a two-day visit to Kismaayo.

Mr. Keating met with the President of Jubbaland, Sheikh Ahmed Islam ‘Madobe’ and officials of his government as well as representatives of the Jubbaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Speaking after the meeting, President Madobe described the discussions as cordial and fruitful. “The main issues we talked about were security of Somalia and also the socioeconomic development of the country. It was agreed that the priority is to direct more effort to security other than politics,” Jubbaland President Madobe said.

 The SRSG commended the leadership of Jubbaland for the transformation much of the region has undergone in recent years since al-Shabaab militants were driven out of Kismaayo.

“I want to congratulate the President and the Government of Jubbaland. Less than four years ago, Kismaayo was liberated from Al-Shabaab and there has been so much progress since then,” the SRSG noted.

In his meeting with representatives of the Jubbaland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Keating discussed the role business can play in bringing prosperity and stability to Jubbaland and Somalia.

“We focused very much on the need for strong institutions, for better security, for young people who are trained so that they can get jobs and the role of business in generating jobs and opportunities as well as some of the obstacles that we are facing,” Mr Keating added.

Jubbaland Minister of Trade and Industries, Fariid Jama Saleban, welcomed the SRSG’s visit as a boost for the socioeconomic development agenda for Jubbaland.

“We talked about probable areas of support based on our needs. This is just the beginning, and I hope that a lot of good things will come out of this meeting,” Mr Saleban said.