By Prof. Abdolahi Mohamed Adawe - Professor of Analytical Chemistry at Somali National University
“Somalia is producing universities faster than knowledge, normalizing institutions that teach students but lack the infrastructure to generate original research.” Prof. Abdolahi Mohamed Adawe
Over the last two decades, Somalia has witnessed a remarkable expansion of higher education. Universities have emerged across major cities and regions, offering new opportunities to thousands of students who, in previous generations, had limited access to tertiary education.
Today, more than 126 universities and higher-education institutions operate across the country, symbolizing a national commitment to learning, professional training and human-capital development. Yet beneath this impressive growth lies a troubling reality: Somalia may be producing universities faster than it is producing knowledge.
The dominant narrative surrounding higher education in Somalia celebrates expansion, enrollment growth and the increasing availability of degree programs. These achievements are important and should be recognized.
However, an uncomfortable question remains largely absent from national discussions: What is the purpose of a university if it lacks the capacity to generate original research?
A university without laboratories, scientific equipment, research funding, digital knowledge resources, technical support and research governance may succeed as a teaching institution, but it struggles to function as a research institution. In such environments, scientists are expected to solve national problems while lacking the basic tools required to investigate them.
The result is a higher-education system that produces graduates but contributes only marginally to scientific discovery, policy innovation and technological advancement. The real crisis facing Somali science is therefore not a shortage of universities. It is the normalization of universities without research infrastructure.
Teaching Has Expanded; Research Has Not
Higher education performs two interconnected functions: transmitting existing knowledge and creating new knowledge. Somalia has made notable progress in the first. Thousands of students graduate annually in medicine, agriculture, engineering, education, business, information technology and the social sciences.
The second function, however, remains severely constrained. Many academics face enormous difficulties in conducting even basic research. Laboratories are either unavailable or inadequately equipped. Essential analytical instruments are absent. Research grants are scarce.
Reliable internet access remains inconsistent in some institutions. Access to international journals and scientific databases is often limited by subscription costs that universities cannot afford. Even when researchers possess strong ideas and technical skills, the institutional environment frequently prevents them from transforming those ideas into meaningful scientific output.
As a result, a significant proportion of academic activity revolves around teaching, grading and administrative responsibilities rather than investigation and innovation. Research becomes an occasional activity rather than a central mission.
This creates a dangerous situation: universities may continue expanding numerically while national research capacity remains stagnant. In effect, the country risks building a higher-education system without simultaneously building a science system.
When Scientists Cannot Experiment, Nations Import Knowledge
One consequence of weak research infrastructure receives too little attention: scientific dependency. Countries that lack robust research ecosystems become consumers rather than producers of knowledge. They rely heavily on external studies, foreign experts, international consultants and imported technologies to understand and address local challenges.
For Somalia, this dependency carries significant consequences. The country faces complex challenges involving climate change, drought resilience, water management, public health, food security, livestock productivity, urbanization, renewable energy, fisheries and environmental sustainability.
These problems are deeply local and require evidence generated within Somali contexts. Solutions developed elsewhere may not always fit Somali realities. Yet without functioning research infrastructure, scientists have limited opportunities to generate the data needed for evidence-based policymaking.
Governments are left making decisions with incomplete information. Development partners often become the primary producers of research evidence. Local academics may participate in studies but rarely lead large-scale scientific agendas. A nation that cannot consistently produce its own knowledge inevitably struggles to control its own development narrative.
The Missing Link Between Universities and National Development
Another overlooked challenge is the weak relationship between universities and the broader innovation ecosystem. In successful knowledge economies, universities rarely work in isolation. They collaborate with government agencies, private industries, civil-society organizations, research institutes and international partners.
Scientific discoveries move from laboratories into policies, products, services and commercial innovations. In Somalia, these connections remain underdeveloped. Many university research projects are conducted primarily to satisfy academic requirements rather than address strategic national priorities.
Industry engagement is limited. Mechanisms for translating research findings into public policy remain weak. Government ministries often operate separately from university research communities. Private-sector investment in research and development is extremely modest.
Consequently, even when useful research is produced, its impact frequently remains confined to conference presentations, institutional reports or unpublished theses. The challenge is therefore not merely scientific; it is structural. Research infrastructure includes not only laboratories and equipment but also the institutional networks that allow knowledge to influence society.
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The Brain Drain Nobody Talks About
Discussions about brain drain often focus on the migration of highly educated professionals to other countries. However, another form of brain drain is occurring within Somalia itself.
Talented scientists who remain in the country frequently experience what might be called “intellectual underutilization.” They possess advanced training, ambitious research interests and strong professional commitment, yet work in environments that prevent them from fully applying their expertise.
A scientist trained in molecular biology without access to molecular laboratories is underutilized. An environmental researcher without monitoring equipment is underutilized. An engineer without testing facilities is underutilized.
Over time, frustration accumulates. Some researchers leave. Others scale back their research ambitions. Many shift toward teaching-intensive careers because meaningful scientific inquiry becomes increasingly difficult.
The tragedy is not that Somalia lacks talented scientists. The tragedy is that many talented scientists cannot operate at their full potential.
Why Infrastructure Matters More Than Rankings
Many universities aspire to international rankings, academic visibility and global recognition. These goals are understandable. However, Somalia’s immediate priority should be less glamorous but more consequential: building research infrastructure.
A country does not become a knowledge economy because it has many universities. It becomes a knowledge economy because those universities generate credible evidence, innovative technologies, skilled researchers and practical solutions.
Laboratories matter. Research funding matters. Data systems matter. Scientific journals matter. Technical staff matter. Research management offices matter. Partnerships matter. These investments may seem expensive, but the cost of neglecting them is even greater.
Countries that fail to build research capacity often face long-term dependence on external expertise, limited technological competitiveness and weaker evidence-informed governance. The real measure of a university is not the size of its campus or the number of its students. It is its ability to produce knowledge that improves society.
Rethinking the Future of Somali Higher Education
The future of Somali science depends on shifting the national focus from educational expansion to research transformation. The key challenge is no longer simply producing more graduates, but enabling universities to become centers of discovery, innovation and problem-solving.
Achieving this requires investment in laboratories, research funding, digital resources, postgraduate training, stronger governance and partnerships among universities, government, industry and international collaborators.
Most importantly, policymakers must recognize a simple but powerful truth: higher education and scientific research are not the same thing.
Prof. Abdolahi Mohamed Adawe is Professor of Analytical Chemistry at Somali National University. He holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Dawan Africa.