By Hassan Adan
Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Thursday laid the foundation stone for a new science and technology campus at SIMAD University in Mogadishu, launching a major expansion project designed to accommodate up to 15,000 students and strengthen the country’s capacity for scientific learning and research.
The planned campus, which will cover 84,000 square metres in the capital’s Deynile district, is expected to include modern classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, libraries and other facilities designed to support science and technology education
The project is being implemented through a partnership between SIMAD University and Kuwait-based humanitarian organisation Direct Aid, with construction expected to take up to four years.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Hamze Abdi Bare described the development as an important investment in Somalia’s future, linking the expansion of educational institutions to the country’s wider development ambitions.
“I am pleased that today we are laying the foundation stone of this great and valuable project, one of the best projects undertaken in the country, which reflects the progress SIMAD University has made,” the prime minister said.
He also stressed the importance of universities in transforming society, saying education was a key pathway towards achieving the government’s National Transformation Plan.
“Universities are essential to transforming society and building the country’s future,” Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said, emphasising the role of higher education in Somalia’s development.
He also thanked Kuwait for supporting the project, highlighting the longstanding ties between the two countries.
The new campus is planned as a specialised centre for science and technology, with facilities intended to provide students with greater opportunities for practical learning, experimentation and research.
Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and the Minister of Education, alongside SIMAD University officials and Direct Aid representatives, lay the foundation stone for the university’s new Science and Technology Campus in Mogadishu.
According to university officials, the campus will feature an education and administration block spanning approximately 38,000 square metres, with 91 classrooms, 30 lecture halls, 36 laboratories and three libraries.
The wider complex will also include a 1,600-seat auditorium, a mosque with a capacity of 1,500 worshippers, a main cafeteria, sports facilities, 96 residential units and a commercial centre housing 64 shops.
Dr Suleiman Abdulrahman Al-Muhailan, chairman of Direct Aid’s board, expressed pride in the partnership with SIMAD University and described the campus as a long-term investment in education.
“We are seeing a dream, and tomorrow it will be a fact,” Al-Muhailan said, adding that the campus could become a centre of learning serving not only Somalia but also Africa and the Arab world.
He said the project would strengthen educational infrastructure in Somalia and create opportunities to expand access to science and technology education, with the campus potentially attracting students from across Africa and the Arab world.
Established in Mogadishu in 1999, SIMAD began as an institution offering short courses and diploma programmes in management, administration and computer science.
It was upgraded to university status in 2011 and subsequently expanded its academic programmes and institutional facilities.
In recent years, the university has expanded its investment in digital learning, introducing interactive smart boards across classrooms at its Main and Town campuses in Mogadishu and advancing initiatives in artificial intelligence.
The latest efforts form part of its broader push to modernise teaching, strengthen technology-driven education and prepare students for emerging opportunities in an increasingly digital economy.
