By Mohamed Shardiid - Media and communications professional. He currently serves as Public Relations Manager at Asal TV and as a university lecturer.
“A forum can bring people together for a day, but a shared vision must bring them together for many years ahead.” Mohamed Shardiid#
Mogadishu recently hosted the Strategic and Communication Forum 2026 under the theme, “Shaping Somalia’s Future in the Digital Era.” The forum brought together diverse voices from across Somali society, including government representatives, academics, media professionals, civil society organizations, young people, and other key stakeholders.
First and foremost, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism deserves recognition for organizing such an important and timely forum. Bringing together different sectors of society to openly discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Somalia’s media and communication landscape is a positive and much-needed step.
More importantly, the forum demonstrated a growing recognition of the need for dialogue between government institutions, media professionals, academics, and the wider public. However, as the forum comes to an end, one important question remains: What will happen to the recommendations, ideas, and directives presented during the forum?
A successful forum should not be measured only by the quality of the speeches, the number of participants, or the photographs taken during the event. Its real success should be measured by what happens afterward.
The recommendations made by academics, media professionals, and other participants, as well as the directives and commitments presented by government representatives, need a clear mechanism for follow-up, implementation, and evaluation. There should be a system that allows stakeholders and the public to know: What has been implemented? What is currently in progress? What challenges remain? And who is responsible for taking the next step?
During the forum, Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Jibril Abdi Rashid Haji Abdi highlighted the importance of requiring individuals to use NIRA identification when opening accounts, linking such a measure to efforts to address security risks, misinformation, and the misuse of digital platforms by terrorist groups.
Such proposals deserve serious discussion, particularly around how security, digital accountability, citizens’ rights, privacy, and freedom of expression can be balanced. Any digital governance initiative should be developed through clear policies, public awareness, consultation with relevant stakeholders, and respect for fundamental rights.
Citizen Journalism and Professional Journalism#
Another important issue raised by academics and media experts was the need for society to better understand the distinction between citizen journalism and professional journalism.
Today, almost anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection can record an event, publish information, or share breaking news with thousands of people within seconds. This has created enormous opportunities for public participation and information sharing.
However, the ability to publish information does not automatically make someone a professional journalist. Citizen journalists can play an important role, particularly during breaking events or in areas where professional media organizations may not have immediate access.
Nevertheless, professional journalism is guided by established principles and standards, including accuracy, verification, balance, accountability, ethical conduct, protection of sources, and responsible reporting.
For this reason, Somalia needs stronger investment in media literacy and digital literacy. Citizens should be equipped with the knowledge and critical-thinking skills necessary to distinguish credible information from misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, manipulated content, and unverified claims.
This Forum Should Not Be a One-Time Event#
In my view, forums of this nature should be held several times a year, or at least followed by regular national dialogues that bring together government institutions, media organizations, academics, civil society, technology companies, young people, and other stakeholders.
We need to create a sustained environment for cooperation, mutual understanding, constructive criticism, and trust between the government and the media. The relationship between government and media should not be defined only by disagreement or criticism. It should also include dialogue, collaboration, professional engagement, and a shared commitment to serving the public interest.
Furthermore, these conversations should not remain limited to Mogadishu. Discussions about Somalia’s digital future, media development, strategic communication, and digital transformation should reach universities, regional communities, media institutions, journalists, young people, and digital content creators across the country.
The Future of Somalia’s Media Depends on What We Do Today#
Related articles
Somalia is experiencing a rapidly changing digital environment. Social media platforms have transformed the way people access, produce, and share information. They have created opportunities for education, business, civic participation, innovation, and public dialogue.
At the same time, the digital environment presents serious challenges, including misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, fake accounts, manipulated content, online propaganda, and the irresponsible use of technology.
Our response, therefore, cannot be based solely on controlling digital platforms. It must also involve education, professional standards, responsible regulation, stronger institutions, and greater public awareness.
From Dialogue to Action#
I believe the Strategic and Communication Forum 2026 represents a promising beginning. It demonstrated that there is a genuine need for a broader national conversation about the future of communication and media in Somalia’s digital era. But the real challenge begins after the forum ends.
The recommendations, ideas, and commitments presented during the forum should not remain in speeches, reports, or social media posts. They should be transformed into policies, action plans, capacity-building programs, partnerships, measurable commitments, and concrete outcomes.
The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism deserves credit for taking this important initiative. I hope the Strategic and Communication Forum will become a regular and evolving national platform where progress can be reviewed, challenges addressed, and previous recommendations evaluated.
Somalia’s digital future cannot be shaped by one institution or one sector alone. It requires government, media, academia, civil society, technology actors, and citizens to work together with knowledge, responsibility, innovation, and a shared vision.
Ultimately, the success of the Strategic and Communication Forum 2026 will not be determined by what was said inside the conference hall, but by what we choose to do after leaving it.
A forum can bring people together for a day, but a shared vision must bring them together for years.
Somalia is entering an era in which information is no longer simply something we consume—it is something we create, shape, influence, and sometimes weaponize. In such an environment, the quality of our communication will increasingly determine the quality of our institutions, our public discourse, and even the trust between citizens and their government.
This is why the question is no longer simply, “What did we discuss?” The more important question is: “What are we going to change?”
If the recommendations from this forum are transformed into meaningful policies, professional standards, public education, stronger media institutions, and continuous dialogue, the forum may eventually be remembered as more than a conference. It may be remembered as a turning point in Somalia’s communication history.
But if the ideas remain on paper, the forum will become another gathering that produced powerful speeches but limited change. The choice is now ours.
Let us move from conferences to continuous conversations, from conversations to commitments, and from commitments to measurable action. Shaping Somalia’s future in the digital era is not the responsibility of the government alone, nor of journalists or academics. It is a responsibility shared by society as a whole.
*Mohamed Shardiid is a media and communications professional. He currently serves as Public Relations Manager at Asal TV and as a university lecturer.
*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Dawan Africa.