Building pandemic prevention, preparedness, detection and response capacities in Somalia

Somalia’s community health workers are known for their resilience and poised to play critical roles in early detection and response. However, they are operating within a severely under-resourced health system – with fewer than 0.4 physicians per 10 000 people – and the challenges facing the system are numerous. Decades of conflict, fragile governance structures, recurring droughts and floods, densely populated camps for internally displaced persons, low vaccination rates, and livestock trade all heighten public health risks. These factors also create an urgent need for strengthened surveillance and laboratory systems, as well as additional capacity within the public health workforce. 

Somalia’s project seeks to tackle the country’s complex public health landscape through multisectoral collaboration. The project is led by the Ministry of Health and Human Services in partnership with the Ministry of Livestock Forestry and Range. It also features support from three implementing entities: FAO, UNICEF, and the World Bank.

Project objectives

With the support of project partners and the Pandemic Fund, Somalia seeks to strengthen public health security and fuel economic opportunity for all the country's people.

Expected outcomes

By 2029, Somalia’s Pandemic Fund project aims to:  

• Improve the country’s capacity for pandemic prevention, detection, notification, and response 
• Incentivize additional investment in pandemic PPR  
• Make more efficient use of Pandemic Fund resources.