It was attended by Puntland President Said A. Deni, Vice President Ahmed Elmi, cabinet ministers, former Puntland President Abdirahman Sheikh Mohamud Farole and Farah Ali Shire, a former Finance Minister, and Professor Mohamed Said Samantar, a senior economist with SIDRA and the author of a report on the currency depreciation in Puntland.
In a statement for the media Puntland’s Finance Minister Hassan Shire said that the Puntland State Government had doubled its efforts to rein in monetary problems that plague the Federal Member State after businesses refused to accept the Somali shilling for transactions.
“We have appointed a committee made up of experienced members who will recommend on how to deal with the problem effectively” said Shire.
Abdirahman Farole will lead the committee tasked with coming up with recommendations. “I am not blaming businesses or money changers. We are seeking solutions, and that is why the Government has appointed a committee” Shire added.
The Puntland State Government has been unable to enforce instructions on the use of the Somali shilling for transactions.
In 2017, Puntland printed Somali shillings in a different form from the common currency used in other parts of southern Somalia where a decision not to print money keeps regions insulated from inflation driven by the currency depreciation Puntland is now experiencing.
This article first appeared in the © Puntland Post, 2021 and is republished with permission.