Somalia has turned around its history and was on a path to prosperity, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has said, rebuffing criticism from those who still view the country from its past. 

“Many people still look down on us, judging everything with a mindset rooted in the past through the lens of the past,” President Mohamud said on Thursday in remarks at Leadership & Innovation Summit (LIS) in the capital, Mogadishu.

“They fail to see what is happening today - the progress being made... To them, we are still standing where we were yesterday. But we say: we have moved beyond yesterday,” he added.

He challenged the country’s youth to reject the allure of seeking opportunities abroad and instead create stability at home.

“Your peers - people your age, built their countries into places worth visiting, places everyone wants a passport from for work, for education, for opportunity,” President Mohamud said. “Why are you going to a place that another young man, your peer, built for himself? Why can’t you build it for yourself?”

In a reminder of human potential, he added; “You can achieve what your peers have achieved. You are capable of the same.”

The address marked the conclusion of the Leadership & Innovation Summit, a high-level gathering that brought together government leaders, private sector actors, and international development partners.

The summit focused on co-creating solutions to promote peace, governance, and economic progress, highlighting the critical role of youth-led innovation.

He posed critical questions to the attendees: “How can we compete with communities that have made great innovations? How can we make the Somali name a name that everyone aspires to have - a name people are proud to be associated with?”

The summit’s themes were directly aligned with Somalia’s broader strategic frameworks, including the National Transformation Plan (NTP) and Vision 2060, as well as the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The focus remains on digital transformation and inclusive governance as the primary vehicles for reshaping the country’s future. 

President Mohamud concluded with an optimistic vision of the future, asserting that the nation’s trajectory had fundamentally shifted.

“The Somali nation has advanced. We have stepped onto the path of development, prosperity, progress, and statehood,” he declared. “We are on that journey now, and soon, this journey will reach the place we have long hoped for and aspired to.”