Graduating from despair to self-employment: How Somalia’s educated youths are dealing with high unemployment

By: Hassan Yarow

ADADO—Inside his makeshift textile stall near the main market in Adado town, 25-year-old Mohamed Hassan is holding a smartphone close to the right ear. He’s listening to a video posted on the Internet. It’s the inauguration speech of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in mid 2022.

“This country holds a lot for the young people, and we will make sure they have everything possible to get a gainful employment,” the president says in the video. Mohamed dreams of joining the civil service.

Mohamed hails from Xudur, a town in the SouthWest Federal State of Somalia.

“I came to Adado about seven months ago to venture into the textile relail business. I have been without employment for more than two years. I graduated from college in late 2021,” Mohamed recalls.

Just across the street, Sabrin runs a food kiosk. She started the business with her two former college classmates at the Horn of Africa University.

“At first, I got ridiculed by some friends and family saying a college graduate should not settle for such line of business,” recounts the operator of “Maamus Hotel”, a locally known joint started in November last year. At first, Sabrin reminisces, their overall investment of $50 could only afford them a tiny room and a kitchen.

However, three months later, they started expanding the space and doubled the number of people serving her ever-ballooning clients who fondly call her “Queen.”

“Instead of staying home in despair, I chose to start a food kiosk. I braved the ridicule at the onset, invested sweat, blood and a high dose of confidence to grow this business despite being among the few young people with a bachelor’s degree,” Sabrin narrated, as her eyes welled with tears of mixed emotions: triumph over the humiliation and perhaps, the hopelessness hovering all over the place.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Hon. @MoBareMohamud, extended a job offer to young Iglan Abdullahi Mohamed in response to her moving story shared on social media – highlighting his strong commitment towards giving youth the right opportunities for success. pic.twitter.com/006vtEzThg

— Ministry of Youth and Sports of Somalia (@MoysFGS) March 20, 2023

Waving a placard with the words “Walaal Shaqo Isii,” translating into “my brother give me a job,” Iglan Abdullahi Mohamed, aged 22, on April last year burst into the streets of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, opening the lid on growing frustration among unemployed youth in the country.

Iglan graduated from the University of Somalia in Mogadishu in 2021 with a degree in public administration but since then, she has been looking for job opportunities to no avail.

“The untimely demise of my mother and brother left me with the responsibility to provide for my four siblings and pay for my university fees, a role previously played by my mother,” she told Xinhua days after she created a massive awareness.

“I persevered to remain at home without a job for years, but the responsibility to fend for my younger siblings forced me to beg for a job in the most unusual way,” she added.

Speaking to Kulan Post at his office in Dhusamareb, the Deputy Minister for Planning and International Cooperation of Galmudug State, Mohamed Abdullahi Dhagacade said the federal state “is doing everything within its means” to address the challenges posed by enemployment among the youths.

Dhagacade added that “his ministry is working on youth centric policies” that prioritize the generation of employment both in the private or public sector.
‘’My ministry has prepared a policy which is awaiting cabinet approval, and once adopted, all major projects in the state would be vetted to determine whether they considered a quota for the local youths,” Dhagacade stated.

The District Commissioner of Godinlabe District in Galmudug State, Abdullahi Hirsi Shidane observed that: “The mismatch between existing educational opportunities and the skills required in the job market is one of the factors that exacerbated the youth employment crisis.”

“Our local higher education institutions do not produce qualified students with a broad range of relevant skills,” Commissioner Abdullahi told Kulan Post during an interview at his office.

He continued that: “When unemployed youth are damned to desperation, they become agents of social unrest, abuse drugs and peddlers, join extremist groups and fuel insecurity in their communities.”

An educationist himself, Abdullahi said the sight of graduates displaying acts of desperation “dims the hopes of college students and that of their parents.”

Ayan Odowaa Ahmed graduated three years ago with a bachelor degree in Medical Laboratory from Hiraan University located at Beledweyne town in Hirshabelle State. She said landing a job as a female is an uphill task.

“It is much more complicated for ladies when looking for a job,” Ayan, a mother of two, told Kulan Post in a telephone interview

“That is why most of us prefer advertising our competencies along the streets rather than moving from one office to the next,” she adds.

According to recent figures, 41% of young people between the ages of 15 and 19 are looking for work. The next age bracket, 20-24, is only slightly better at 35%. What’s more, in Somalia 70% of the population is under the age of 30, meaning that a high portion of the population who are eligible to work are not currently employed – neither do they enjoy the stability, hope, and satisfaction that comes with meaningful employment. A lack of gainful employment can engender frustration and demoralisation, especially in young people, making them more likely to turn to illegal work like smuggling, or militant groups.