Somalia needs Result Based Performance Measurement Policy (RBM) – Op-Ed

Result Based Performance Management (RBM) is an organization-wide process to ensure that public Service agencies to focus work efforts towards achieving countries leadership Vision, Mission, and Values (VMV). It is also a systematic approach for continuous and consistent work improvement and individual growth[1].
Somalia has been without effective government for last 27 years. Various forms of governance have filled the vacuum left by the collapse of the state in 1991, including informal systems driven by the resurgence of the role of clans and by the evolving roles of business, religious, and civic groups. However, the current formation for 2017, new Somali government has engaged in numerous efforts to strengthen the performance-orientation of the Public Service so that it can be effective and efficient in its role of delivering public services. While these efforts have been successful compared to the previous regime, they have not been sufficiently deep enough to deliver expected public services.
Thus, the newly elected government must set on high level Result Base Performance Measures (RBM) within different institutions and public servants to drive sufficiently strong efforts to deliver its commitments in a timely manner. These performance reforms should spread to all services sectors and institutions including: Judiciary, Executive, and legislature.
The policy measures should focus on key RBM principles including accountability, ownership, and inclusiveness. The key requirement of this policy is to involve or compel all public institutions across all service sectors; economic development and social service agencies, to implement result based performance management within their operations consistent with the RBM principles set out by the Prime’s Minister Office. This policy frame work should focus on institutionalizing result oriented practices within Public institutions in a form that will promote an integrated and coordinated approach to performance management. These include: (a) a review and adoption of a comprehensive legal framework for result based performance management, (b) streamlining the national planning and budgeting processes to integrate result based performance management principles, (c) introducing rules for training that will target performance gaps of employees in the context of this policy, so that capacity development plans that compliment performance management systems.
Objectives of the Policy: The main principles of RBM is to have a public service that is result based and one that is efficient and effective in delivering its services enabling the Government to meet its policy commitments and targets as provided in its national development strategy timely. The main principle of RBM is to have a public service that is results based and is efficient and effective in delivering its services, enabling the government to meet its policy commitments and targets as provided in its national development strategy.
Guiding Principles to the Policy: Implementing Result Based Measures (RBM) will be guided by a set of fundamental principles. The policy will formalize and further institutionalize their application to include:
∙ Accountability: The Government of Somalia (GoS) shall seek to strengthen accountability to its citizens and all stakeholders for the delivery of national goals and priorities, as agreed in its development strategy and other national programmers through demonstrable results.
∙ Ownership: The Government shall take primary responsibility and will demonstrate its leadership in the formulation and implementation of national policies and economic development strategies in order to achieve sustainable development. This level of ownership will cascade to regional governments and all sectors of Public institutions within their strategies, programs and activities.
∙ Inclusiveness: The formulation and evaluation of government strategies and programmers shall be conducted in an open, consultative and participatory manner. This will include stakeholders at national and local levels, as well as local communities to achieve the highest level of inclusiveness in the determination and management of Somalia’s development agenda.
∙ Alignment of operations to RBM:  Individual roles, institutional structures, strategies, programs and activities shall be aligned to institutional mandates and to national goals. The GoS shall conduct semi-annual and annual performance reviews to evaluation each government agency specific mandated programs.
∙ Transparency in operations: The process of formulating results at individual, institutional, and sector levels as well as assessment and reports, shall be carried out transparently. Each government agency and leading individuals shall clearly understand their specific mandates. The government of Somalia shall share the results and performance of each government agent with the public annually.
∙ A culture of change:  Managing for results requires fostering an appropriate organizational culture of results. The government shall promote and demand results within the government of Somalia’s public service Institutions. Each Minister shall establish supportive systems, incentives, procedures and practices to reorient accountability systems towards results, and rewarding performance based on the data.
∙ Capacity Building: The lack of capacity to address the aforementioned areas creates culture of chaos resulting in poor performance of executing ministerial duties for informed public policies in order to reconstruct develop in post-civil war Somalia.  It seems that majority of the current administration’s appointed ministerial positions were either selected through personal connections or the most notorious Somali despised 4.5 formula hence producing individuals that have no knowledge nor experience for work that high ministerial  offices demand in 21st century.
The Country is on the mends now reconstituting its institutions to fill the workforce development gap to remedy the ills of poor leadership along with poor performance outcomes. For example, Jim Collin’s book “Good to Great, Built to Last” comes to mind. The book answers why some companies make the leap from good to great, while others do not. It emphasizes more of building tough benchmarks across organizations- be it public or private including:  workforce development training, common standards and long term-sustainability.
Without proper training and knowledge transfer (know how ) from institutions and  training programs one would be challenged and left in a chaotic  environment and we all know the insidious consequence of that of lacking real skills to discharge their responsibilities. On the other hand, when it comes to hiring competent individuals, it is high time one should  employ a merit based system among our brightest and best individuals with a high caliber skill set, that can discharge one’s duties and deliver for Somali peoples aspirations of unmet needs.   In an effort to move forward, the Federal Ministry in charge of Planning shall issue detailed guidelines to sectors on the formulation of sector strategies. The process of formulating medium term and long term strategies shall be participatory- involving all sector institutions, regional governments and civil societies.
The National planning Ministry shall consolidate annual institutional performance assessment reports for submission to office of the Prime Minister (PMO). This report shall be regarded as an in-house self-assessment, entailing action points or recovery plans for areas that were not met as achieved. The Office of the Prime Minister may decide to appoint independent external evaluators. This will allow ranking of institutional performance that will be entailed in the evaluation guidelines issued by the Office of the Prime Minister.
To be an effective state is essential that the government of Somalia to achieve a sustainable socioeconomic development and promote a good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results.
Thank you
Ahmed Hundubey
International Banker/Financial Analyst
Calgary, Canada
Hundubey.bashir@gmail.com
[1] © 2015 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / the World Bank