Deprived of an official gazette for more than 20 years, Somalia is now rebuilding its legislative history through digital technology. This renaissance is being driven by the Ministry of Justice, which is determined to make the law visible, accessible and understandable to all.
Speaking at the African Gazettes Forum, Somali deputy minister of justice Ahmed Abdirahman Hassan recounted how his country has resumed its institutional record-keeping.
"During the civil war, our laws existed, but no one could consult them," he explained. The conflict had paralysed the state and interrupted all official publications. Decrees circulated from hand to hand, without any framework, in a climate of lasting legal uncertainty.