Somali Public Agenda
Somali Public Agenda (SPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan, and independent public policy and administration research and action organization based in Mogadishu. It aims to advance understanding and improvement of public policy and services in Somalia through evidence-based research and analysis, dialogue,podcasts, policy and service design, and training.
At Somali Public Agenda, we believe that all Somalis deserve better public services, including access to affordable education, healthcare, housing, security, and justice delivered by transparent and accountable authorities.
SPA’s vision is that Somali citizens can access public services that are responsive, evidence-based, and inclusive.
Our mission is to increase the capacity of Somali governance institutions, civil society, and international partners to deliver effective public services to Somali citizens.
Brief history of SPA
Founded on January 10, 2018, in Somalia as an independent, non-partisan, and non-profit think and action tank, Somali Public Agenda began its analytical work with monthly commentaries published in both English and Somali in 2018. Throughout 2018, we produced one commentary each month.
SPA’s work and focus have expanded gradually over the years. In early 2019, Somali Public Agenda introduced Governance Briefs; our first Governance Brief, analyzing the Somali youth employment crisis, was published in March 2019. In 2020, SPA began conducting in-depth studies across Somalia and introduced Research Reports as its third type of publication. In 2022, Somali Public Agenda introduced Policy Papers as the fourth type of publication. In its first five years, from January 2018 to December 2022, Somali Public Agenda published a total of 66 publications: 35 commentaries, 19 governance briefs, 4 policy papers, and 8 research reports.
To realize SPA’s objective of co-designing policies and services with public and civic institutions and building capacity in the public sector, two centers were introduced in August 2020. The SPA Policy Lab was launched as an action research center to help public institutions design human-centered public policies and services. The center has a director and has been conducting action research and co-designing projects on transitional justice and addressing the displacement crisis in Somalia.
Moreover, the SPA Center for Learning and Development was launched in August 2020. The center has a director and introduced a flagship blog writing training and research methods training primarily benefited by the Somali youth. Since July 2020, over 100 youth graduated from the blog writing and research training programmes.
Moreover, the SPA Center for Learning and Development was launched in August 2020. The center, led by a director, introduced flagship blog writing and research methods training, primarily benefiting Somali youth. Since July 2020, over 100 youth have graduated from the blog writing and research training programs.