Somalia seeks to ease donor jitters with foreign fund manager

ADDIS ABABA — Battling daily insurgency and unable to stamp authority across the nation, Somalia's transitional government has tapped a private accounting firm to soothe donor concerns over funds management.With the collapse of institutions over the last 18 years of relentless conflict, President Sharif Sheilkh Ahmed's administration recently enlisted the services of PriceWaterhouse Cooper to manage its finances.In addition, recent heavy attacks by hardline Islamist militia have also significantly pared Sharif's government control of the capital Mogadishu where it is backed by African Union peacekeepers."We don't have the personnel who have the experience, the training and the skills," Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar told AFP."We now have to work with not only international organisations but with many governments and countries therefore we need assistance to be able to manage the funds of the donor community and the international organisations," he said.
In April, international donors raised 213 million dollars (165 million euros) to help bolster the Horn of Africa country's security forces, back the understaffed AU troops and help combat piracy off its coast...more...http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iU2fg0leEOmOulxNLo2RsnjRfhig