Puntland President Calls for Accountability in Fisheries Licences

[Deeq A.]

President Deni is commendable for speaking up about the persistent problem of illegal fishing along Puntland’s coast, but candour alone is not enough.

Garowe (PP Editorial) — At the Second Conference on Puntland Fisheries Productivity and Decentralisation in Coastal Areas, held in Bosaaso from 19 to 22 August 2025, the President of Puntland State of Somalia, Said Abdullahi Deni, concurred with Puntland Post that strict measures are required to ensure that fees from fishing licences issued in the name of Puntland State are properly accounted for and used to benefit the people of the coastal districts and villages of Puntland.

The President went on to highlight an uncomfortable truth about the persistent embezzlement of fees from fishing licences issued to foreign companies. “Illegal fishing is widespread in most of Puntland’s coasts. Some trawlers have licences issued by the Puntland State, but their fishing practices are not supervised; there are also trawlers with no fishing licences. What disheartens me from time to time is the news that many fishing boats from Yemen and Iran illegally fish along Puntland’s coasts. They are protected by some people from Puntland. We have the largest coastline in Somalia, but our people are very poor; people from other countries exploit our marine resources. When the Puntland State government takes measures against illegal trawlers fishing in Puntland’s waters, some traditional leaders come and plead with us for the release of these illegal trawlers,” said President Deni.

It was encouraging that President Deni referred to the Puntland Fisheries Regulation, which specifies the supervisory role of the State in ensuring that no licensee employs methods that deplete Somali marine resources. However, it was discouraging when the President made impractical suggestions on how to deal with the widespread corruption that continues to affect the lives of millions of Puntland people, who might otherwise benefit from the proper use of fishing licence revenues.

Puntland Fisheries Productivity and Decentralisation in Coastal Areas, held in Bosaaso from 19 to 22 August 2025.

“It is not the law of the land that can help address this problem [of embezzling fees from fishing licences]. We must take steps to raise people’s consciousness,” said President Deni.

This framing suggests that awareness of corrupt politicians and their associates is more important than enforcing the rule of law. Yet corruption poses a greater threat to Puntland State than terrorism. Soon, well-connected elders may even accept kickbacks from ships carrying toxic waste to be dumped on Puntland’s coast.

President Deni is commendable for speaking up about the persistent problem of illegal fishing along Puntland’s coast, but candour alone is not enough. It is morally unacceptable if President Deni cannot be transparent about how much of the fishing licence revenue issued by Puntland State actually reaches government coffers. Perhaps the Auditor General of Puntland State could shed light on this governance problem.

© Puntland Post, 2025

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