The Horn of Africa, which borders the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is now developing newly available marine-focused degree programmes with the support of Qatar Charity initiatives.

On Monday, an award ceremony took place in the Somali capital of Mogadishu to honour Qatar Charity (QC) for its humanitarian work in Somalia.

Representing his nation, Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, presented the certificate of appreciation for QC’s efforts in bolstering the Horn of Africa’s education sector and development.

Somalia’s Minister of Education, Farah Sheikh Abdul Qadir and the chargé d’affaires at the Qatari embassy in Somalia, Mohammed Al Shammari were in attendance at the event.

Other attendees included the director of QC’s Somalia Branch, Abdulfatah Adam, the United Nations’ regional director for peace in Africa, Samuel Kali and the director of Somalia’s UN-backed Peace University, Mohammed Yusuf – among other representatives.

The ceremony coincided with the launch of a joint education programme between the Somali presidential office, QC and the UN Peace University.

‘A historic day’

During his speech, President Mohamud said: “Today is a historic day to celebrate the start of the doctoral programme funded by Qatar Charity in partnership with the United Nations University for Peace.”

The grant will contribute to bolstering the scientific and research sectors within Somalia’s universities.

Somalia’s Education Minister, Farah Sheikh Abdul Qadir, stressed the importance of education during the ceremony on Monday, Marsal Qatar reported.

Qadir added that universities in his nation are currently developing new degree programmes featuring fields of study previously unavailable in Somalia

The Horn of Africa’s coastline is bordered by the Gulf of Aden to the north and the Indian Ocean to the east. Qadir announced that Somali universities are now looking into offering degrees in marine science, maritime security, the blue economy and others.

Qadir, and his colleague Mohamed Osman – Somalia’s presidential economic advisor, praised QC’s initiatives that have strengthened Somalia’s education sector.

For Osman, these efforts were vital for building a better future for his country.