Conversation with Ahmed Abdirahman Hassan by African Business

Deprived of an official gazette for more than 20 years, Somalia is now rebuilding its legislative history through digital technology. This renaissance is being driven by the Ministry of Justice, which is determined to make the law visible, accessible and understandable to all.

Speaking at the African Gazettes Forum, Somali deputy minister of justice Ahmed Abdirahman Hassan recounted how his country has resumed its institutional record-keeping. 

“During the civil war, our laws existed, but no one could consult them,” he explained. The conflict had paralysed the state and interrupted all official publications. Decrees circulated from hand to hand, without any framework, in a climate of lasting legal uncertainty.

The restart began after the political transition period in the early 2010s. “Since the 1960s, every text has followed the same path: it is prepared by a ministry, reviewed by the Ministry of Justice, adopted by Parliament, and then published in the Official Gazette,” says the Minister. This mechanism, which had long been broken, is now working again. Publication resumed in the mid-2010s, in Somali, English and Arabic.

The next step is to make the entire collection available online. “The process is almost complete,” he said. “We want every citizen to have direct access to the law, without an intermediary”.

Read more: After decades of conflict, Somalia is rebuilding legal history

Source: African Business