The Advancing Strong Partnerships for Inclusive and Resilient Economic Development (ASPIRE) project was implemented in Somaliland and Puntland with the aim of promoting inclusive and resilient economic development, drawing on the Territorial Approach for Local Development (TALD). In Somaliland, ASPIRE focused on Berbera District as a hub for inclusive local economic development (LED) in the region and as an entry point to address regional income disparities. Further, ASPIRE worked with the Association of Local Government Authorities of Somaliland (ALGASL) as a target group and implementing partner for the dissemination and replication of lessons learned from the interventions in Berbera across Somaliland.

The overall objective was: "Local authorities and associations of local authorities contribute to inclusive economic growth in Somaliland."

Specific objectives were:

• Improved capacity of Berbera District to promote inclusive LED.

• Improved capacity of the Berbera Economic Forum (BEF) to promote inclusive LED.

• Strengthened capacity of ALGASL to promote inclusive LED in Somaliland.

The target groups were:

• Association of Local Government Authorities of Somaliland (ALGASL)

• Local Authorities of Berbera District (BD)

• Berbera Local Economic Development Forum (BEF)

The final beneficiaries were:

• All districts of Somaliland and Puntland (members and potential members of ALGASL)

• Private sector in Berbera and local communities of Berbera, especially women, youth and people with disabilities

• Sub-grantees to this program were ALGASL, the Association of Local Government Authorities of Somaliland, and the SIRAD Foundation.