By Hassan Wekesa - Editor
Kenya, 13 October 2026 - With just 11 days remaining before the Global Somali Entrepreneurship Forum (GSEF) kicks off in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, the excitement around it can be felt in social interactions and conversations, from villages to cities.
The two-day forum will run from 24 to 25 October at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi’s Upper Hill.
GSEF 2026 is the third edition, and the conveners have promised to build on the momentum of the previous editions, held in 2024 and 2025. The Forum promises to bring together diverse voices and opportunities to advance innovation, regional integration and sustainable investment across East Africa.
It will serve as a platform for meaningful conversations, new connections and partnerships that are expected to help shape the future of entrepreneurship and investment in the region. Conversations are expected to lead to connections, and ideas to generate opportunities.
The Forum is expected to draw stakeholders from various sectors of the economy, including entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, development partners and diaspora leaders.
The third Global Somali Entrepreneurship Forum has highlighted 10 key areas, including fintech and banking, in which more than €450 million has been invested so far. This sector deals with mobile money, digital payments and Islamic finance innovation, which are powering a cashless economy in which businesses and individuals aim to achieve seamless transactions.
Another area covered by the Somali Investment Universe is the real estate sector, which deals with urban development, diaspora investment and construction transforming East African cities. Real estate is by far the leading diaspora investment of the Somali community, which is globally recognised as resilient and risk-taking. Somali people have also explored investments in other sectors, such as technology and IT, energy, agriculture, trade and logistics, healthcare, education, hospitality and maritime affairs.
Despite shocks such as climatic and human-made challenges that each nation faces, the Somali people have shown cooperation and unity that transcend territorial borders. This explains why Nairobi, as host, still brings the same warmth it would have had the third edition been hosted in Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital.
The Somali diaspora sends $1.5 billion home annually, and the focus has shifted steadily from consumption to investment. It is on this promise that GSEF is building the infrastructure to channel diaspora capital into structured, high-return opportunities.
Farhiya Farah of GSEF stated in 2025 that the Forum is more than just an event.
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“It is a growing movement. A bold and inclusive platform created to connect, empower and elevate Somali-led businesses, innovators and change-makers,” she said.
GSEF Director of Strategic Operations and Communication Alinoor Maalim said GSEF was born out of a realisation of the potential of this particular community, the Somali community.
“It is not a secret that the Somali community has received a lot of acclaim worldwide because of its entrepreneurial spirit,” Maalim noted.
During the 2025 event, Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, who is himself Somali, thanked the organisers of GSEF, stressing that global changes and shocks require such initiatives to bring people together.
“The world is confronting complex, overlapping challenges, from climate change to youth unemployment, from food security challenges to fragile health systems. In such a context, entrepreneurship must evolve,” Duale stated.
Somalia continues to take full advantage of its position in the Horn of Africa. The country’s strategic location makes it a natural hub for trade between Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
“With the longest coastline in mainland Africa and membership in the East African Community, Somali entrepreneurs sit at the crossroads of global commerce,” GSEF 2026 notes on its main website.
Somali people make headlines across continents, including in sports and politics. Referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan is one such individual. Despite a setback in his bid to officiate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., he was granted the golden opportunity to officiate the 2026 UEFA Super Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Aston Villa. The match took place on 12 August 2026 at the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, with PSG winning 2–1.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been at loggerheads with Ilhan Omar, a fearless politician of Somali origin who serves as a U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district. Ilhan remains vocal in defending people’s rights, a clear indicator that people of Somali origin are keen to defend the rights and dignity of all, irrespective of race or place of origin.