Wrapping up a five-day visit to Somalia, a senior United Nations official today called on the Somali leadership to accelerate efforts towards the completion of the country’s electoral process.

"It is important that we complete this process to enable the peace and stability of Somalia to take off in a meaningful way,” the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, said in Mogadishu.

The recently-appointed UN official, who holds responsibility for the continent of Africa at the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Department of Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) in New York, was in the Horn of Africa country as part of a familiarization visit.

"I'm here to familiarize myself with the UN operations, and also to have discussions with the government, the leadership of Somalia, civil society organizations, especially women and youth, who, as you know, the United Nations works closely with on the ground,” she said.