A deepening climate finance scandal has emerged within Somalia’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, where senior officials are being accused of deliberately engineering the withdrawal of Save the Children International (SCI) from a multimillion-dollar Adaptation Fund project to make way for politically connected beneficiaries to gain control over both Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Fund (GCF) resources.
The controversy revolves around the project titled “Ecosystem-Based Adaptation and Nature-Based Solutions for Building Resilience of Drought and Flood-Prone Vulnerable Communities in Jowhar District, Somalia,” originally developed by SCI in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). SCI was designated as the executing entity, with UNEP serving as the accredited entity – a collaboration many observers viewed as technically sound, credible and transparent.
But internal sources at the Ministry say the partnership was dismantled through backdoor political manoeuvring. According to multiple officials with direct knowledge of the matter, SCI was verbally instructed by the Ministry’s Director General, Yusuf Abdirahman Samatar, to withdraw from the project, on the grounds that the Minister, General Bashir Mohamed Jama and his Principal Advisor, Abdullahi Godah Barre, had already allocated the project to their preferred implementer.
“They told SCI that if they didn’t step aside, they would jeopardise future endorsements from the Ministry, including access to upcoming GCF funding,” said a senior Ministry staffer, speaking anonymously due to fear of retaliation.
Another source close to the discussion described it more bluntly:
“This isn’t a misunderstanding. The Minister, the Principal Advisor and the Director General are working in sync to redirect these climate funds to entities they can personally benefit from. The Adaptation Fund process has been hijacked.”
In a subsequent letter to the Ministry, SCI formally withdrew from the process, citing “internal considerations.” But insiders say this language was dictated by the Ministry itself, in an attempt to mask the coercion and avoid scrutiny from international donors.
“The Director General told them to put it in writing and make it look like their own decision,” said another Ministry official. “He even warned them that if the Ministry was seen to be pushing them out, the Adaptation Fund would start asking questions.”
What followed adds to growing suspicions of a coordinated effort to control climate finance in Somalia. SCI, having been forced off the Adaptation Fund track, was verbally promised access to GCF funding instead – if they complied. Not long after, SCI submitted a request to the Ministry seeking endorsement for a GCF proposal titled “Addressing Somali Pastoralists’ Adaptation Needs (ASPAN),” highlighting that the project had stalled and needed urgent ministerial support to move forward.
Ministry insiders claim this was part of a broader strategy to dominate and monetise Somalia’s climate finance pipelines.
“The Director General wants full control. The message is clear: if you cooperate with them and stay quiet, you might get something later,” said one staff member. “But even then, the ultimate goal is to keep the flow of funds within a controlled circle where cuts can be made.”
One senior Ministry official described this as a planned redirection of public climate money to private hands, noting that the endorsement process has become politicised and manipulated.
“It’s no longer about who has the best technical proposal – it’s about who is closest to the Minister’s office and how much can the top leadership of the Ministry can get. They’re replacing capable NGOs with shell entities and handpicked actors who will help launder the money.”
The consequences are dire. Both the Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Fund were created to support vulnerable nations confronting the harsh realities of climate change. In Somalia, where people already face the effects of prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall and rising displacement, the loss or misuse of climate funding could cost lives.
“This isn’t just bureaucracy or internal processes – it’s about Somali families going without clean water, farmers losing their crops and young girls walking further for firewood while the money meant to support them is stolen,” said a Somali climate justice advocate based in Nairobi.
Within the Ministry itself, frustration and fear are growing.
“The corruption is not subtle anymore. The Principal Advisor, Abdullahi Godah Barre, is acting as the ‘de facto Minister’ – he gives the orders, runs external relations and is building parallel structures inside the Ministry to siphon off climate funds,” said one official.
Several sources allege that Barre has established an internal administrative network to control new projects and endorsements, placing preferred individuals in key roles while effectively rendering existing directors sidelined or redundant. Whistleblowers report that anyone who speaks out internally faces immediate marginalisation or worse.
“Retaliation is real here,” said one director. “If you question the process, you’re cut off. But this needs to be exposed before the entire system collapses under the weight of corruption.”
There is growing concern among international partners and donor agencies that Somalia’s climate finance architecture is being compromised. Many are now internally exploring for ways to call for an independent investigation into the Ministry’s project endorsement procedures and financial flows.
“What’s happening now is not just unethical – it’s dangerous,” said one respected climate expert. “There is growing evidence that public climate funds are being diverted, disguised and abused. The international community needs to step in before it’s too late.”
Shabelle Media Network has learned that further revelations are expected, including details of a covert structure overseen by Abdullahi Godah Barre, aimed at consolidating personal control over incoming climate finance – particularly through the creation and appointment of new positions. These developments will be revealed in the upcoming investigative reports.
The story is developing
