FAQs

FAQs ABOUT QUESTS-MIDA

1. What is QUESTS-MIDA?
2. What is the difference between QUESTS Vs QUESTS-MIDA?
3. How many people participated in short term assignments in the previous QUESTS and in what areas of Somalia?
4. Who can participate in the QUESTS-MIDA project?
5. Will work experience in the new/current country of residence be sufficient for participation in QUESTS-MIDA?
6. What sectors will QUESTS-MIDA target?
7. What kind of professional background do you need experts to have?
8. Will this project help me find a job in Somalia?
9. Will QUESTS-MIDA provide pre and post-departure orientation? If yes, what will it include?
10. What benefits/incentives will experts on the missions get?
11. What zones of Somalia will benefit from QUESTS-MIDA?
12. Who will be in charge of/provide security for those who participate in missions?
13. Will QUESTS-MIDA support diaspora members who have already left their country of residence and are now working in Somalia?
14. Will vacancy notices include the exact dates of assignment?
15. How long are the missions?
16. Can my family members accompany me to my assigned mission?
17. Will QUESTS-MIDA arrange missions for professionals with other qualifications (such as engineering, health care, education)?
18. Does QUESTS-MIDA intend to expand to other sectors (e.g. health, education, IT)?
19. How will the information collected on Somali diaspora be used?

1. What is QUESTS-MIDA?
Qualified Expatriate Somali Technical Support – Migration for Development in Africa (QUESTS-MIDA) is a joint project between UNDP Somalia and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that is foreseeing the temporary placement of qualified Somali expatriates in the diaspora to contribute towards institutional strengthening and capacity-building activities within public institutions in Somalia. The initial phase of this project will be focused on capacity building of Somali public institutions in the areas of policy and legislative development, human resource management and public financial management. Those reflect the priorities of the Somali Institutional Development Project (SIDP) which guides QUESTS-MIDA.

2. What is the difference between QUESTS Vs QUESTS-MIDA?
The old QUESTS project was modeled after UNDP’s global initiative Transfer of Knowledge through Expatriate Nationals (TOKTEN), which encouraged expatriate service of their nationals to volunteer their expertise in the service of their homelands for a given period.
QUESTS-MIDA is the new version of QUESTS which addresses the limitations of the previous iteration. Where UNDP will formulate the strategic direction of the project, IOM will be the operational arm and implement and facilitate the processes for recruitment, deployment and repatriation to country of residence of qualified Somali expatriates, as well as monitoring the successful implementation of the assignment.

3. How many people participated in short term assignments in the previous QUESTS and in what areas of Somalia?
QUESTS was implemented from 2004 to 2008 and engaged the participation of 150 Somali expatriates who were placed in approximately 100 institutions across the three zones of Somalia.

4. Who can participate in the QUESTS-MIDA project?
Eligibility will focus on qualifications that match the criteria per specific QUESTS-MIDA assignments such as:

Documented evidence of living abroad with legal residency or nationality status outside Somalia, including proof of right-of-return to the same country. (Neither UNDP nor IOM will be responsible for the status determination process);
University degree (Bachelor’s, Masters, PhD);
Relevant work experience;
At least 25 years of age (there may not be an upper age limit, but a medical certificate will be required);
Somali-language proficient, as well as English;
Ability to work in partnerships and adjust to difficult living conditions
Genuine interest and commitment to the development of Somalia and a willingness to share skills, knowledge and experience.

Qualified Somali women in the diaspora are encouraged to apply to vacancies and participate in the project.

5. Will work experience in the new/current country of residence be sufficient for participation in QUESTS-MIDA?
Having current solid professional expertise and experience relevant to the assignment to which one is applying for is essential. It is required to ensure that acquired skills are shared with the beneficiary institution.

6. What sectors will QUESTS-MIDA target?
The initial phase of QUESTS-MIDA will focus on public institutions that deal with core government processes in the areas of legislative and policy development, human resource management, and public financial management.

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7. What kind of professional background do you need experts to have?
The project will engage candidates with professional experience in policy and legislative development (e.g. leadership, policy analysis), human resource management (e.g. strategic management, organizational development), and public financial management (e.g. macro-economic forecasting, budget formulation, financial accountability and reporting). In its second phase, QUESTS-MIDA might look into broadening the sectors in which it is providing qualified Somalia expatriates.

8. Will this project help me find a job in Somalia?
The intention of this project is neither to provide jobs to the diaspora community nor to relocate them back to Somalia. The aim of QUESTS-MIDA is to enable Somali qualified experts to share and transfer their acquired skills with civil servants in a public institution through short term assignments.

9. Will QUESTS-MIDA provide pre and post-departure orientation? If yes, what will it include?
Yes, there will be a pre-departure briefing before the qualified expert departs from their country of residence and another briefing in Nairobi that will include a cultural and security briefing.

10. What benefits/incentives will experts on the missions get?
QUESTS-MIDA will provide medical and evacuation insurance for each participant. Subsistence allowances will be determined by the individual’s work experience, level of education, and the type of assignment. Other benefits will include:

Travel health insurance
Return flight
Repatriation grant

11. What zones of Somalia will benefit from QUESTS-MIDA?
It is the intention that all three zones of Somalia will benefit from QUESTS-MIDA. This will depend on the demand from the public institutions as well as the limitations due to the security situations and developments. Due to difficulties related to security, the project is delayed from operating in the South, although QUESTS-MIDA is looking into modalities to work with the TFG.

12. Who will be in charge of/provide security for those who participate in missions?
The public institution that hosts the qualified experts will be responsible for the professional’s security during the contract period.

13. Will QUESTS-MIDA support diaspora members who have already left their country of residence and are now working in Somalia?
The project is open to any qualified Somali expatriate who is a citizen of another country (outside Somalia) or has attained permanent residency status in another country. Any Somali candidate who meets the requirements as described in the vacancy notice will be considered for the post they are applying for.

14. Will vacancy notices include the exact dates of assignment?
Yes, the vacancies will indicate the assignment commencement date and duration.

15. How long are the missions?
The duration of the mission is subject to the advertised assignment and TORs which should not be more than one year period.

16. Can my family members accompany me to my assigned mission?
The project will only be responsible for the expert that will be engaged in the QUESTS-MIDA project. This means that the expert can choose to have his/her family accompany them but that this will have to be at their own personal costs and that the project will not take or have any responsibility over the family members that have been brought over.

17. Will QUESTS-MIDA arrange missions for professionals with other qualifications (such as engineering, health care, education)?
After the initial phase of the project, QUESTS-MIDA may look into facilitating placements for Somali professionals from additional sectors.

18. Does QUESTS-MIDA intend to expand to other sectors (e.g. health, education, IT)?

The first year of the QUESTS-MIDA project will focus on SIDP priority areas (policy and legislative development, human resource management, and public financial management). After the first year, the project may be expanded to other sectors.

19. How will the information collected on Somali diaspora be used?

The information collected on Somali diaspora will be used to build a database in order to gather information that will guide the project in terms of understanding the level of interest from the diaspora, the different sectors that the diaspora is mostly involved in, as well as obtaining concerns and feedback from them. The information collected will be used solely for QUESTS-MIDA project.