Evaluation of Norway’s Engagement in Somalia 2012-2018

The evaluation covered by this report took place from October 2019 till June 2020. It sought to identify lessons from Norway’s engagement in the challenging environment of Somalia and to assess whether Norway’s assistance was effective, coherent and conflict-sensitive. And it paid specific attention to identifying how Norway managed three dilemmas arising from engaging in the complex Somali context.

The evaluation identified Norway’s objectives for engaging in Somalia and the aid provided to the country from various Norwegian channels. It provided an overall analysis and recommendations on what worked and what did not work in achieving these objectives. The team used a sample of 10 specific interventions to gather additional field data to examine in more depth the relationships between three elements of Norway’s engagement: its policies, management and interventions. 

Overall, the evaluation found that Norway was able to identify a number of individual engagements that were effective in meeting the planned objectives, but that the combined results of Norway’s engagement in Somalia were mixed. Norway’s limited use of a systematic approach to conflict sensitivity, communication and learning means that it could have achieved more and minimised risks.