GoleKaab Website was officially launched as a digital platform designed to connect citizens with Civil Society and strengthen public awareness and participation in the sessions of the Golaha Shacabka of the Baarlamaanka Federaalka Soomaaliya (BJFS).
The launch ceremony was officially inaugurated by Hon. Adar Ali, Member of Parliament and Secretary of the Human Rights, Women & Humanitarian Affairs Committee. In her remarks, she emphasized the important role of GoleKaab in advancing legislative development, transparency, and civic oversight. She further called for the expansion of the platform across all Federal Member States to ensure inclusive national engagement.
The Chairperson of Somali Civil Society under the umbrella of Somalia Non State Actors, Mr. Osman Moallim Shatah, shared the journey and milestones of the initiative. He highlighted that GoleKaab is an innovation developed by Somali Civil Society and that within its first pilot year, it has already demonstrated measurable and promising achievements.
Additionally, the Acting Country Director of Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), Abdijalil Tahir, welcomed the recommendations presented by Advocate Abdifatah regarding full accessibility. He stressed the importance of redesigning GoleKaab into a modern, inclusive platform that ensures equal access for persons with disabilities, including those with hearing and visual impairments. He reaffirmed NIMD’s commitment to implementing these recommendations so that GoleKaab becomes a truly inclusive and publicly owned platform that enhances access to legislative information and parliamentary accountability.
Finally, Mohamed Hussein Enow and Senator Naima Ibrahim jointly recommended that GoleKaab move beyond its pilot phase once the designated period concludes and be expanded nationwide. Senator Naima Ibrahim further proposed including the Golaha Aqalka Sare (Senate) in the list of institutions to be monitored under the “Watching the Watchdogs” principle, reinforcing comprehensive parliamentary oversight. She also commended the European Union and NIMD for their continued support to democratic development initiatives in Somalia.
SDN actively participated in the GoleKaab meeting and contributed key recommendations to ensure the platform is disability-friendly and fully accessible.
During the discussions, SDN emphasized the importance of inclusive design standards so that persons with disabilities—particularly those with hearing and visual impairments—can equally access legislative information and follow parliamentary proceedings. The team advocated for features such as sign language integration, screen-reader compatibility, captioned content, and user-friendly navigation to remove barriers to participation.
SDN reaffirmed its commitment to promoting inclusive governance and ensuring that GoleKaab becomes a platform that serves all citizens without discrimination.
