Practice area 08
NGO advisory services
Registration, governance and operational compliance for NGOs and INGOs in Somalia.
We advise NGOs and INGOs on the local legal framework, helping them navigate registration, compliance and operational challenges. Our work supports humanitarian and development activity by securing legal integrity and accountability.
Donor conditions and Somali regulatory requirements do not always align neatly. The gap between them is where problems appear during audit, and it is where most of our advisory work is concentrated.
Instructing the firm on this
Bring the documents you already hold. The first meeting produces a written note of the position and the options, not an immediate filing.
What we do
- Legal structuring and registration: advising on the appropriate legal form and handling registration with the relevant government authorities
- Regulatory compliance and governance: governance frameworks, internal policies and reporting mechanisms aligned with Somali law and international donor expectations
- Operational risk management: contractual arrangements, employment matters and risk mitigation
- Memoranda of understanding with government entities and development partners
- Employment documentation for national and international staff
Who we act for
- International NGOs operating in Somalia
- National NGOs and community organisations
- UN agencies and development partners
- Consortium leads managing downstream partners
Legal framework
The rules this work is measured against.
Somali law is being rebuilt in several of these areas at once. We tell clients where the current requirement ends and where a proposed reform begins.
- Registration
- Legal form and registration with the relevant authorities
- Governance
- Internal policies, reporting mechanisms, donor expectations
- Operations
- Contracts, employment matters, risk mitigation
- Sectors
- Health, education, humanitarian aid and governance reform