Dr. Ali Sheikh Ahmed
Tuesday September 22, 2026
On the twenty-ninth anniversary of the opening of Mogadishu University, and on the occasion of the graduation of its twenty-sixth cohort, I am filled with joy and pride as I see the seed we planted under extremely difficult circumstances grow, by the grace of Allah, into a distinguished academic institution and a blessed tree whose branches have spread, whose fruits have flourished, and whose contributions have benefited tens of thousands of Somali men and women.
As the University’s first President and one of its founders, I am delighted to extend my warmest congratulations and sincere best wishes to my sons and daughters graduating in the twenty-sixth cohort, and to their families, who shared with them a journey of hard work, patience, and perseverance and stood by them until they reached this moment, when years of study and dedication culminate in the award of their university degrees.
A University Born in a Time of Adversity
The establishment of Mogadishu University was not a conventional educational project. It was a national response to an urgent historical need. The University was established at a time when state institutions had collapsed, Somali society had suffered severe losses of life and property, educational institutions had been damaged, and many scholars, professors, and skilled professionals had left the country.
In that turbulent environment, Somali youth faced the risk of being deprived of education and losing their future, while the country needed knowledge and qualified professionals capable of overcoming the consequences of war and rebuilding society more than ever.
From this reality emerged the idea of establishing the University, based on a vision that rebuilding Somalia does not begin with constructing buildings and roads alone. It begins with building people through knowledge, intellectual development, character, competence, and a sense of responsibility toward society and the nation.
Establishing the University under those circumstances was a practical expression of resistance to despair and a declaration that war should not stop the pursuit of education. It affirmed that a society that preserves its academic institutions retains the capacity to rise again.
From its beginning, Mogadishu University carried a mission that went beyond awarding degrees. Its mission was to prepare a generation capable of thinking, working, and leading, proud of its identity and values, and open to science, knowledge, and beneficial human experience.
From a Modest Dream to an Academic Institution
The beginnings were limited in resources, but great in vision, ambition, and determination. The road was not easy. The University faced continuing security, financial, administrative, and academic challenges. Yet the dedication of its founders and leaders, the community’s trust in its mission, the commitment of its faculty and administrative staff, and the determination of its students enabled it to continue, expand, and achieve accomplishments that would have been difficult to imagine during its early years.
Over its twenty-nine-year journey, more than forty thousand students have enrolled in the University across its various stages and programs. Tens of thousands have earned undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications, while thousands more continue their studies today across its faculties and programs.
These graduates are not merely numbers in the University’s records. They are judges, lawyers, journalists, doctors, engineers, teachers, legal professionals, economists, administrators, researchers, and community leaders. They have spread across Somalia and beyond, contributing to rebuilding state institutions, providing services to citizens, developing the economy, advancing knowledge and culture, and strengthening civil society.
These achievements demonstrate the cumulative impact of university education. Every student who graduates carries not only an academic qualification but also new capacity that is added to society’s collective strength and a new opportunity to contribute to addressing its problems and improving its future.
An Experience That Opened the Way for Higher Education
The hopes planted by Mogadishu University in the hearts of Somali people grew, flourished, and bore fruit. The University’s impact was not limited to its students and graduates. The success of its experience helped restore confidence in the possibility of reviving higher education in Somalia despite the collapse of the state and the complexities of the security and political environment.
One of the outcomes of this experience was the subsequent establishment of universities, institutes, and higher education institutions in different parts of the country. Mogadishu University was therefore not merely an individual educational institution. It was a pioneering experience that helped open the way for a broad revival of higher education and provided a model demonstrating the ability of Somali society to establish, preserve, and develop its academic institutions regardless of the severity of the challenges.
Perhaps one of the University’s greatest achievements was its contribution to restoring hope among young people at a time when despair surrounded them from every direction. It gave them the opportunity to pursue education within their own country rather than leaving migration, unemployment, or involvement in conflict as the options available to them.
Knowledge in the Service of Peace and National Unity
Mogadishu University did not regard education as an academic process separate from society’s challenges. Rather, it viewed education as a means of building peace and strengthening national unity.
The University is a space where Somalis from different regions and backgrounds meet, learn, and work together on the basis of knowledge, competence, brotherhood, and citizenship, away from the divisions and narrow loyalties that weakened society and prolonged its crisis.
The university environment demonstrated that knowledge can serve as a bridge to reconciliation, that classrooms can bring together people whom war and politics have divided, and that building an inclusive national identity begins with educational institutions that teach generations dialogue, respect for diversity, acceptance of others, and service to the public interest.
For this reason, Mogadishu University’s mission did not stop at education and specialization. It extended to promoting a culture of peace, strengthening national unity, confronting ignorance, extremism, and intolerance, and preparing citizens who understand their rights and responsibilities and recognize their obligations toward their country and society.
The University’s Role in Strengthening Civil Society
From its establishment, Mogadishu University did not confine its mission to classrooms. It played a significant role in strengthening Somali civil society during a period when state institutions were absent or had limited capacity to perform their functions.
In the institutional vacuum that followed the collapse of the state, educational institutions and civil society organizations became some of the most important structures that maintained a degree of social order, provided services, and created spaces for dialogue and collective action.
Within this context, the University provided an academic and intellectual space for discussing public issues. It hosted seminars, conferences, lectures, and dialogues related to peace, reconciliation, education, development, and state reconstruction. It also encouraged its faculty members, students, and graduates to participate in civic, humanitarian, and public awareness initiatives and contributed to preparing professionals who later assumed leadership roles in educational, professional, research, and humanitarian institutions.
The University thus became a meeting place for academic and national leaders, a platform for promoting peace, citizenship, and tolerance, and a bridge connecting scholars, intellectuals, and community leaders.
This role was not a secondary activity added to its educational function. It was a natural extension of its philosophy that the university is a social institution and that knowledge should be transformed into a force for reform, stability, and service to people.
This engagement contributed to strengthening civil society during the years when the central state was absent, preserving a degree of social cohesion, and mobilizing society’s capacities to participate in addressing crises rather than merely waiting for external political solutions.
Participation in the Arta Reconciliation Process and State Reconstruction
Mogadishu University’s role extended from strengthening civil society to direct participation in efforts toward national reconciliation and rebuilding Somali state institutions.
This was clearly demonstrated through its participation in the Somali reconciliation process in Arta, Djibouti, which led to the establishment of the Transitional National Government and the formation of the first national parliament after nearly a decade following the collapse of the central state.
The University recognized that successful reconciliation does not depend solely on bringing political parties together. It also requires the participation of scholars, experts, and civil society institutions, supported by legal, administrative, and constitutional knowledge.
Based on this understanding, a number of the University’s experts and academics participated in the Arta Conference process and contributed their academic and legal expertise to drafting the constitutional document that governed the transitional period and established the framework for the new institutions of government.
This participation represented the University’s transition from preserving education during the period of collapse to contributing to the development of the legal and political foundations of the emerging state. In doing so, it provided a practical example of the role universities can play in transitions from war to peace and from institutional collapse to state reconstruction.
The University’s contribution did not end with the success of the reconciliation conference and the establishment of transitional institutions. It subsequently participated in training members of the first Somali parliament formed after the reconciliation process, introducing them to the responsibilities of the legislative authority, the foundations of parliamentary work, mechanisms of oversight and legislation, and the responsibilities of parliamentarians in representing citizens and protecting the public interest.
Training members of parliament was an important step in institutional capacity building because the existence of a parliament is not complete simply through the selection of its members. Its members also need to be prepared to perform their constitutional functions efficiently and responsibly.
Through this contribution, Mogadishu University affirmed that rebuilding the state is not merely a political process. It is also a knowledge-based, educational, and institutional process that requires universities, research centers, and national expertise.
The University’s participation in the Arta reconciliation process, its contribution to drafting the constitutional document, and its training of parliamentarians represent important chapters in its history. They demonstrate the integration of its educational, social, and national roles and show that the University was not merely an observer of events, but an active partner in building peace and restoring state institutions.
Graduates and the Responsibility of Carrying the Mission
Graduation is not the end of the journey of learning. It is the beginning of a new stage of responsibility. A university degree acquires its true value only when it is transformed into beneficial knowledge, excellent work, good character, and sincere service to others.
I therefore urge my sons and daughters among the graduates to carry the message of their University wherever they go. They should be models of integrity, competence, and discipline and use what they have learned to build their country, address the problems facing their communities, serve those in need and the vulnerable, and place the public interest above narrow personal interests.
Somalia expects its university graduates to be part of the solution and to contribute to building a state of institutions and law, developing education, healthcare, the economy, and administration, and strengthening the values of reconciliation, justice, and citizenship.
Nations do not rise merely through the number of people who hold academic qualifications. They rise when knowledge becomes conduct, learning becomes achievement, competence becomes responsibility, and individual success becomes a contribution to society and the nation.
I also encourage graduates to continue learning. The world is experiencing rapid scientific and technological changes, and what they have acquired at university represents the foundation of a journey of knowledge that should never stop. Continuous learning, thoughtful openness to modern developments, and commitment to professional values and ethics will remain among the most important conditions for future success.
Honoring Those Who Built the Journey
On this important occasion, we must express our gratitude and appreciation to everyone who contributed to building and preserving this institution throughout these years: the founders who carried the idea and believed in it, the Boards of Trustees and successive administrations, the professors who generously gave their knowledge and time, the administrators and staff who served the University with dedication, and the students and their families who placed their trust in the institution.
I also extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the current President and leadership of the University for their efforts to continue its mission, develop its academic and administrative performance, and preserve the standing the University has achieved locally and regionally.
We also remember with gratitude those who participated in this journey and have since passed away after leaving their mark on the development of the University and their service to its students and society. We ask Allah to reward them abundantly and to make the knowledge, work, and contributions they left behind an enduring charity recorded among their good deeds.
The Responsibility of the Next Stage
Despite the achievements of Mogadishu University, the road ahead remains long, and the challenges of the future require a renewed vision.
Today, the University is called upon to strengthen the quality of education, develop scientific research, make responsible use of modern technologies and artificial intelligence, connect academic programs with the needs of society and the labor market, and build strong academic partnerships with regional and international universities and institutions.
The University should also give greater importance to scientific research that examines Somalia’s challenges and proposes appropriate solutions, particularly in the areas of state building, reconciliation, governance, economic development, environmental protection, food security, administrative development, and the empowerment of youth and women.
This requires moving from consuming knowledge to producing it and from teaching ready-made solutions to studying Somali realities using rigorous scientific methods, so that the University becomes a center for ideas, policies, and initiatives that contribute to building the country’s future.
A university that succeeded in remaining resilient during years of adversity is capable, by the grace of Allah, of moving from survival and continuity to leadership and influence, becoming a center for producing knowledge and solutions and an academic beacon serving Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa.
Congratulations and Renewed Hope
From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate the graduates of the twenty-sixth cohort and share with them and their families the joy of this achievement.
I say to them: Your University has given you knowledge and placed the keys to the future in your hands. Protect its reputation, be worthy ambassadors of your University, and make your personal success a path toward serving your society and your country.
Congratulations to Mogadishu University on twenty-nine years since the beginning of its mission, and congratulations on this blessed harvest of graduates and professionals.
If the University began during a time of adversity as a project for planting hope, today it stands as testimony to the ability of Somalis to build, persevere, and renew.
We ask Allah to protect Mogadishu University, bless those who serve it, grant success to its sons and daughters, and enable it to remain a beacon of knowledge, a builder of people, a bridge for peace, and an active partner in building the state and the future of Somalia.
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Dr. Ali Sheikh Ahmed
A prominent Somali academic and intellectual, one of the founders of Mogadishu University and its first President. Over several decades, he has contributed to the development of education and to strengthening Islamic outreach and community engagement in Somalia.
