PUNTLAND CIVIL SERVANT REFORM: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

From its establishment, Puntland restored public institutions after the collapse of the central state in 1991 and civil servants were recruited to delivery public services. However, the civil servants were not recruited based on formal procedures rather based on clan quotas and recommendations by the key traditional elders and other informal powerholders. Most of the civil servants earned low wages and worked with very meagre budgets. These conditions affected service delivery and the performance of the civil servants. Recognizing challenges, the World Bank partnered with the government and launched Puntland Civil Service Reform Strategy (2015-2017). The Strategy is expected to bring tangible changes in the structure and functions of the government. Recruitment of civil servants based on merit is one of the ambitious objectives of this reform strategy. However, the main challenge could be deeply embedded clan quotas. It is agaist this backdrop that this study aims to establish the challenges and opportunities of Puntland civil service sector reform