Federal government: ministries and agencies
Somali Bureau of Standards (SOBS): product standards and inspection
The Somali Bureau of Standards sets and applies quality standards for goods imported, exported and made in Somalia. It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, uses Bureau Veritas to inspect goods before they are shipped to Somalia, and inspects markets and ports. Hawa Ahmed Hassan is its director.
What it does
The bureau oversees and regulates quality standards for products imported, exported, manufactured and used in Somalia (US International Trade Administration). When Commerce Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir Maareye announced its resumption, he described it as responsible for adopting and applying standards for imported and locally made products, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Goobjoog News).
It represents Somalia in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ISO lists its board as made up of representatives of several ministries, the Chamber of Commerce, and the agency's director and deputy director (ISO).
For imports, it has contracted Bureau Veritas to inspect goods at the port of departure and issue certificates against Somali standards (US International Trade Administration).
Who leads it
Hawa Ahmed Hassan is director. At a national export expo in 2026 she said the bureau was ready to work with exporters and producers to certify products that meet international standards (SONNA).
The money
In the federal Appropriation Act for 2027 as submitted to parliament, the body appears as "Somali Quality Assurance Agency", sub-head 031101 under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (Ministry of Finance, Appropriation Act 2027):
| Year | US$ |
|---|---|
| 2025 (actual) | 1,314,880 |
| 2026 (budget) | 1,463,216 |
| 2027 (proposed) | 1,493,516 |
All federal bodies' budgets are compared on federal bodies and their budgets.
What it reports doing
- Ports: it seized substandard flour at Mogadishu port in 2024 (Hiiraan Online, May 2024), and seized expired food imported from Turkey at Mogadishu seaport (Dawan Africa).
- States: it introduced the national quality policy in Kismayo (Dawan Africa).
- Markets: on 3 November 2026 its inspection teams visited the Bakara vegetable market after concerns about fruit and vegetables ripened early by methods that do not meet food safety standards. It asked the public to report produce suspected to be unsafe (Dawan Africa, 4 November 2026).
The Made in Somalia mark
On 22 September 2026 the government launched a "Made in Somalia" mark for goods produced in the country that meet required standards. Officials said 75 factories were operating regularly in Somalia, and the Ministry of Commerce said the country imported about US$9 billion of goods in 2024 (Dawan Africa, 22 September 2026).
How the work is shared
The bureau sits under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Farm chemicals and crop inputs are checked by a separate regulator, the Somali Agricultural Regulatory and Inspection Service (SARIS), under the Ministry of Agriculture, which in November 2026 said it would test chemicals used to ripen bananas (Dawan Africa, 4 November 2026). Medicines are regulated separately; see medicines regulator.
Sources
- US International Trade Administration · trade.gov
- Goobjoog News · en.goobjoog.com
- ISO · iso.org
- SONNA · sonna.so
- Ministry of Finance, Appropriation Act 2027 · mof.gov.so
- Hiiraan Online, May 2024 · hiiraan.org
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa, 4 November 2026 · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa, 22 September 2026 · dawan.africa
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Every federal government body in Somalia and its budget, 2025 to 2027A directory of every body in Somalia's federal budget: ministries, agencies, courts, commissions and security forces, with 2025 spending, 2026 budget and 2027 proposed budget in US dollars, and a CSV download.
- The Federal Government of Somalia: how it is organisedHow Somalia's federal government is built: its history since 2012, its branches, ministries, agencies and independent offices, how it relates to the member states, its staff and budget, and where to find each part.
- Somalia's federal government: the President, the Prime Minister and the Council of MinistersHow Somalia's federal executive works: the President's powers, the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers, the list of ministries, and presidents since 1960.
- Ministry of Education of Somalia (Wasaaradda Waxbarashada): what it doesWhat Somalia's federal education ministry does: curriculum, national exams, teachers, school counts and higher education, how it shares the work with the member states, and the separate ministries in Puntland and Somaliland.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia (Wasaaradda Arrimaha Dibadda): embassies and diplomacyWhat Somalia's foreign ministry does, who leads it, where Somalia has embassies, the main issues in 2024 to 2026, and what Somalis abroad can get from an embassy.
- Ministry of Health of Somalia (Wasaaradda Caafimaadka): what it doesWhat Somalia's federal health ministry does: policy, vaccines, medicines, coordination of aid; who leads it; its budget 2025 to 2027; what it reports doing in 2026; and how the work is shared with Puntland, Somaliland and the member states.