The Challenges of Somalia's Aid Dependency

Abdinasir Ali Osman argues that Somalia's decades-long reliance on international aid risks creating a cycle of long-term dependency. While aid remains a crucial lifeline, it is increasingly seen as a substitute for building necessary domestic institutions. With foreign funding shrinking, the central challenge is balancing immediate life-saving needs with the creation of accountable public oversight. Osman contends that Somalia must pivot toward domestic revenue mobilization to ensure future recovery. The piece emphasizes that humanitarian necessity should not become a permanent replacement for institutional development. Breaking this dependency cycle requires long-term structural reforms rather than temporary fixes.