APD Completes Week-Long Interview Series In Awdal Region

(HARGEISA, SOMALILAND-June 30, 2009) The collective APD team, including researchers from the Hargeisa and Burao offices, returned yesterday from a seven day trip to Awdal region where they conducted interviews in Borame, Baki and Boon.

This was the first part of a 40-day excursion to all six regions of Somaliland, which APD is undertaking to perform a census of the country in preparation for the upcoming elections scheduled to take place September 27, 2009. Those interviewed include elders, local councilors, women, youth groups, and government officials.

The topics discussed such as land ownership and the revised role of governance in Somaliland are critical to the positive progress of the country. All of the interviews are also being filmed by APD’s media department so that they can be revisited in the future and compared with the last census that APD conducted in 1999. The results of the current interviews will be complied in a comprehensive report which will be published prior to the elections.

APD researchers conduct an intimate group interview with local businessmen in Borama.		APD meets with opposition political leaders in the region		APD meets with elders in Baki, where discussion focused on land disputes and the need for a bottom-up governance approach.

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