The Türkiye-trained generation: Somalia’s new architects of recovery

In recent years, the number of success stories and ventures highlighting Somalia’s recovery has surged.

At the heart of many of these stories is a common thread: a generation of young Somalis who travelled to Türkiye as students and returned home as leaders, innovators, and nation-builders.

One of the most emblematic of these stories is that of Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, who graduated in 2016 from Ankara University’s Faculty of Political Science, Department of International Relations.

His journey from a scholarship student to holding senior leadership roles and now serving as Somalia’s Minister of Ports and Marine transport, embodies the rise of a new, globally informed Somali public sector.

But Abdulkadir represents only one chapter of a much larger story. "The Somali people have gone through dark days and have reached these beautiful days. We thank Türkiye and the Turkish people for this." He says.

Many of Somalia’s brightest students received full scholarships from the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), a transformative initiative that has become one of the most successful examples of cultural diplomacy in the world.

A growing number of Somali graduates from Türkiye have returned home with the skills, confidence, and international perspectives needed to fuel national progress. Their influence spans medicine, education, governance, engineering, and entrepreneurship.

They are the generation that bridges two nations, deepening Somali–Turkish ties while rebuilding their homeland.

At the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in Mogadishu, Orthopedics and Traumatology Specialist Dr Hassan Salad Fidow moves swiftly through packed corridors.

Since 2017, he has cared for patients in one of Somalia’s most advanced medical facilities.

“I believed that I would be more beneficial to the Somali people in my own country. That’s why I chose this hospital. I am very grateful to the Turkish people and the Republic of Türkiye for providing me with this opportunity.” Dr Hassan Salad Fidow says.

He speaks passionately about the hospital’s significance. “This hospital is a very important facility for the Somali people because the opportunities here do not exist anywhere else in the country.

Many experienced doctors come from Türkiye. We are here to bring Somalia’s healthcare system to a better place.”

Dr Hassan is joined in the medical sector by Anisa Abdullah, a trained hearing expert, returned from Türkiye after 11 years of education to open one of Somalia’s first hearing-aid and audiology centers.

“Türkiye gave me so much. I developed there, I grew up, and my perspective on the world changed. Türkiye is truly my second homeland.”

She explains why she came home. “Somalis should return to their country and serve their nation. There is so much work to be done. Before, people had to travel abroad for hearing aids. Now, they can access this technology right here in Somalia.”

At Martyr Omer Halisdemir School, Ilyas Abdulkadir Mohamed teaches Turkish language and culture, skills he mastered during his years studying in Türkiye from high school through his master’s degree.

“We prepare students for life and connect them with Türkiye’s knowledge and experience. I benefited from scholarships myself, so I see teaching here as a national duty and a moral responsibility.” “Returning home to contribute is a debt I owe to Türkiye and to Somalia.” Ilyas says.

Dr. Mohamed Mohamud Mohamed, Rector of the Somali National University, returned in 2015 after completing an engineering degree at Firat University. He is among the highest-ranking academics in the country trained in Türkiye.

At SIMAD University, a prominent private univesity in Mogadishu, Rector Dr Abdikarim Muhyadin Ahmed shares a similar path.

“I graduated from Firat University between 2012 and 2015. The most important thing Türkiye taught me is patriotism. After returning, I did everything I could for Somalia’s development. Today, we are here for Somalia.”

Their universities now employ multiple Türkiye-educated faculty members creating an academic culture directly influenced by Turkish institutions.

After six years in Türkiye, Mohamed Haji, now Undersecretary at the Somali Ministry of Justice, returned immediately after finishing his degree. He highlights a cultural difference that drives returnees home: “Turkish is spoken in almost every institution in Somalia today.

Many bureaucrats know the language because so many of us studied in Türkiye.” “Almost all graduates come back. Türkiye trains and develops us not to keep us, but to help rebuild our country.” “I came back to serve my nation. By transferring what we learned, we contribute directly to Somalia’s development.”

This “reverse brain drain” stands in contrast with many developed countries that retain African professionals, deepening talent shortages back home.

Sayid Ali Abdulkadir, a Türkiye graduate, runs one of Mogadishu’s largest distribution companies. “We now distribute at least twelve Turkish brands in Somalia, but when we started, no one believed it would work.”

“Five years later, we operate a 1,300-square-meter store in the heart of Mogadishu, a huge achievement.” “Before Türkiye, Africa sourced everything from China. As a Türkiye graduate, I’m proud to bring Turkish products to Somalia.”

In central Mogadishu, the air is scented with Turkish-inspired fragrances. Naima Salad, who studied in Türkiye from 2013 through her university years, now owns a thriving perfume business. “I studied in Türkiye and returned to open this shop. Everything I learned there, I brought home. This business is my contribution to Somalia’s growth.”

Dr Mahdi Musa Hasan, who studied in Türkiye from 2013 to 2022, now teaches International Relations at Mogadishu University. “Türkiye shaped my academic journey. Now I train the next generation of Somali thinkers, diplomats, and policymakers.”

From hospitals to ministries, from classrooms to marketplaces, the impact of Türkiye-educated Somalis is visible across every sector.

Their stories mark a new chapter in Somalia’s recovery one driven not by foreign intervention, but by educated citizens returning with purpose.

These young Somalis are more than graduates. They are bridges between two nations, bearers of hope, and architects of a new Somalia.