Mahiga said the 2012 was a historic year for Somalia, for the region and for the rest of the international community.

He said the year saw Somalia electing new president and parliament in a democratic election in Mogadishu for the first time in two decades.

“On 10 September 2012 a new Somali Parliament, sitting in Mogadishu, elected a President–the first such democratic exercise in over twenty years. Holding such an election in the Somali capital would have been unthinkable just months before, and it sent an unambiguous signal to Somalis, to the region and to the international community that the winds of change were blowing,”he said in his “end of the year” message.

Mahiga noted the ongoing transformation in Mogadishu and the diaspora communities’ investment in the capital which has replaced the sound of gunfire and explosions.

Since mid last year, Mogadishu has received a major facelift following the withdrawal of the Al-Shabaab group which prompted massive return of Somalis in the diaspora in order to invest in the country.

In his message, Mahiga said Somalia managed to end the transition after several failed attempts, attributing this success to what he called inclusive, transparent, legitimate, participatory and Somalia-owned process to end the transition in the country.

He however said the end of transition provided an opportunity for unprecedented female participation in Somali politics and dramatically advanced the cause of gender equality in the country.