Somalia confirms delay in $30 million Turkish budget support as budget vote looms
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s government has confirmed a delay in receiving $30 million in annual budget support from Turkey, a setback arriving as lawmakers are yet to approve a federal spending plan valued at more than $1 billion.
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Finance Minister Bihi Iman Egeh told local media on Wednesday that Ankara’s transfer — a recurring injection into Somalia’s treasury in recent years — has not arrived on its usual schedule.
“Turkey has been providing budget support regularly in past years,” Egeh said. “This year’s support, amounting to $30 million, has been delayed and was not paid on time as usual.”
He said Somalia has relied this year on budget support from other partners, including the European Union, the United Nations and “several friendly countries” to sustain day-to-day government operations. The minister did not give a reason for the delay in the Turkish disbursement or indicate whether a revised timeline had been communicated.
The hold-up has prompted questions in Mogadishu given Turkey’s profile as one of Somalia’s most significant development, security and humanitarian partners. Turkish support has spanned multiple sectors for more than a decade, and budgetary transfers have become a predictable pillar in the government’s cash-flow planning.
Why it matters: The delay lands at a sensitive moment for Somalia’s public finances. The federal budget remains pending in Parliament, prolonging an approval process that typically governs revenue assumptions and spending priorities for the year ahead. Any uncertainty over external budget inflows — combined with a late budget — can tighten liquidity and complicate plans to pay civil servants, maintain basic services and fund priority programs.
Egeh’s comments underscore Somalia’s continued dependence on external partners to bridge fiscal gaps as it works to consolidate domestic revenue and public financial management reforms. International budget support, whether from bilateral partners or multilaterals, helps Somalia manage recurrent costs while it implements longer-term economic and governance reforms.
What we know: The government says Turkey has been a consistent budget-support donor in past years. This year’s $30 million package has not been disbursed on the typical schedule. Other partners, including the EU and UN, have provided support over the course of the year. The federal budget — pegged at more than $1 billion — is still awaiting parliamentary approval.
What’s next: Officials did not say when the Turkish funds might arrive. In the meantime, Somalia’s finance authorities are leaning on existing partner support and domestic revenues to keep the government running while urging lawmakers to move the budget forward.
The episode highlights the fragility of a fiscal system that continues to rely on external budget support to meet core obligations — and the importance, officials say, of predictable disbursements to maintain momentum on governance, security and development priorities.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
