Improving Healthcare Services in Somalia Project (“Damal Caafimaad”)

active

The third Additional Financing (AF) in the amount of US$28 million will enable the Government of Somalia to sustain provision of critical essential health services through contracted non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in project supported regions and to renovate and equip six hospitals as well as construct the national cold chain storage facility. These civil works were originally planned under the COVID-19 Emergency Vaccination Project (P176956) approved on September 28, 2021. Unfortunately, they cannot be completed before the project’s scheduled closing date of December 31, 2025 which is also the final closing date of the entire COVID-19 Strengthening Pandemic Response and Preparedness Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA). Given this situation, the proposal is to complete the implementation of these works under the Damal Caafimaad operation. Under the COVID-19 Project, the government contracted UNOPS to upgrade and renovate six hospitals: Bosaso, Dhuusamareeb, Kismayo General, Baidoa, Jowhar, and Forlanini with the primary goal of strengthening their capacity to respond to medical and health emergencies arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The support included establishing emergency departments, creating isolation facilities, and providing essential medical equipment. The infrastructure investments are within the confines of existing hospital compounds in government owned land. Given the poor state of infrastructure, the hospitals are to be upgraded and adapted to better withstand climate-related shocks. Climate and disaster risk assessments were carried out for the individual sites and the hospitals designed incorporating measures to prevent and withstand climate shocks, including impacts of flooding, high winds; and extreme heat, to which Somalia is particularly vulnerable. In addition, all hospitals will be provided with solar power systems as primary or back-up power, replacing the use of hydrocarbon fuel-powered generators. In addition, the Project Paper seeks approval to restructure the Damal Caafimaad project to allow for (a) introduction of the renovation works with United Nations Office for Projects (UNOPS) as the implementing entity, (b) extension of the project closing date to December 12, 2026, and (c) revision of the results framework. The government submitted a request dated December 3, 2025 to facilitate the processing of the AF.