Somali PM hosts Arab League delegation to launch new education initiative

Arab League’s classroom diplomacy lands in Mogadishu

On a humid Saturday in Mogadishu, Somalia’s prime minister received a delegation from the Arab League with a familiar promise: help for the country’s classrooms, and a renewed push to strengthen the teaching of Arabic. The visit, led by Zayd Al-Sabbaan, who oversees the Horn of Africa and Sudan at the Arab League, came with warm words about deepening cooperation on politics, economics and development. It also arrived with few specifics—no dollar amounts, no timelines, no pilot districts—only the signal that education will be a fresh front in a long relationship.

At first glance, it looks like a diplomatic footnote. But in a region where chalkboards and textbooks can be as strategic as ports and pipelines, this pledge matters. Education is soft power—slow, patient, cumulative—and the Arab League’s outreach taps into questions of identity, language and influence that run through Somalia’s modern story.

Why this matters now

Somalia is in the midst of a complicated turnaround. The country reached a long-sought debt relief milestone last year, clearing much of the arrears that had haunted its finances since the state collapsed in 1991. International partners—from the IMF and World Bank to Ankara, Doha and Abu Dhabi—have lined up behind the government’s reform plans, even as security forces push to reclaim territory from al-Shabaab and the African Union’s mission winds down.

That teamwork has limits. Classrooms remain crowded. Teachers in some regions still go months without pay. UN agencies estimate that fewer than half of Somali adults can read and write, and girls’ attendance plummets in rural areas after puberty. Climate shocks—drought, flash floods, and the El Niño cycle—close schools and upend families’ plans. In such a landscape, a new education initiative is welcome. But the real test is whether a promise in Mogadishu can reach a village with no electricity, no female teachers, and no safe route to school.

Language, identity, and the classroom

Somalia’s embrace of Arabic is not new. The country joined the Arab League in 1974. Arabic and Somali are both official languages, and religious schools have long taught Qur’anic Arabic to generations of children. At the same time, Somali’s modern written form—standardized with a Latin script in 1972—remains the language of the home, the market, and increasingly of government administration. Add English, the lingua franca of aid and business, and you have a familiar dilemma for many societies: how to teach a new generation in a way that honors culture, unlocks opportunity, and doesn’t overwhelm young learners.

There is plenty of evidence that strong mother-tongue instruction in the early years improves outcomes. Bilingual models that build on Somali first and introduce Arabic and English gradually tend to produce better readers and more confident students. If the Arab League’s support focuses on teacher training, curriculum quality, and materials that complement Somali rather than replace it, the initiative could be a win. If it leans too heavily on symbolic language targets without classroom support, it risks becoming one more well-intentioned program that looks good on paper but frustrates teachers and parents.

A popular Somali proverb says, “Aqoon la’aani waa iftiin la’aan”—without knowledge, there is no light. The proverb speaks not just to literacy, but to the dignity that comes from learning in a language you own, while opening doors to others. The policy balance matters.

Soft power in the Horn

This is also about influence. The Horn of Africa has become a crowded arena for education diplomacy. China supports Confucius Institutes. France leans on the Alliance Française. The U.K. backs the British Council and English-language education. Turkey’s Maarif Foundation runs schools and training programs. Gulf states sponsor scholarships to Cairo, Doha and Riyadh. Each offer comes with real benefits for students—and carries the subtle imprint of an outside partner’s cultural priorities.

For the Arab League, which has sometimes struggled to turn statements into sustained programming, Somalia is a litmus test. Can a regional body with limited centralized funds help a fragile government improve teacher quality and keep pupils in school? Can it coordinate among its own member states, avoiding duplication while linking Somali students to scholarships, online courses, and vocational training that fit the country’s labor market? The answers will say as much about the League’s evolving role as they do about Somalia’s education policy.

What we don’t know yet

The Prime Minister’s office was short on detail, and the delegation’s statement offered broad encouragement rather than a roadmap. Key questions remain:

• Scope: Is this a national program, or a pilot in select regions? Will it prioritize urban or rural districts, and how will it manage security risks?
• Teachers and pay: Will funds address the chronic issue of teacher salaries and professional development, or focus only on Arabic textbooks and classes?
• Curriculum: How will Arabic instruction align with Somalia’s national standards and the needs of early-grade learners?
• Transparency: What measurable goals—enrollment, attendance, reading proficiency—will partners use to track progress?
• Scholarships and jobs: Will the initiative create pathways to vocational training, digital skills and higher education that meet Somalia’s job market?

A path that could work

There is a cautious way forward. Begin with what Somali educators say they need most: reliable pay, training that fits the classroom reality, simple and durable materials, and safety for teachers and pupils. Pilot bilingual methods in early grades that strengthen Somali literacy while introducing Arabic in stages. Invest in girls’ education in drought-hit and displacement-prone areas, where learning losses are largest. Teach Arabic not as a silo, but as a bridge—to religious studies for those who want it, and to trade and regional networks for all.

And measure. Somalia’s reform agenda already includes data collection systems for budgets, payroll and exam results. Tie new funds to clear indicators, publish the outcomes, and let parents and communities see where promises are kept.

The bigger picture

This education pledge is arriving at a delicate time. Somalia’s leaders are juggling reforms at home and tensions across borders, from maritime security to disputes over port access and recognition efforts in North Western State of Somalia. In such moments, the urge to announce big initiatives can be strong. But the true arc of state-building shows up in quiet places—a teacher who stays, a girl who keeps going after grade five, a class that reads at grade level by the end of the year.

There is opportunity in this Arab League push if it becomes a patient partnership rather than a headline. In a decade, will Somali students be reading more confidently, working with numbers, switching comfortably among Somali, Arabic and English, and finding jobs? Or will the initiative join a shelf of plans that never left the capital?

Somalia’s future will be decided as much by what happens in its classrooms as by what is negotiated in its palaces. The lights are on in Mogadishu today. The country will hope they reach the schoolyard too.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.