Somalia Opens Diaspora Centre to Strengthen Ties With Overseas Communities

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has inaugurated the Somalia Diaspora Centre, a new facility aimed at strengthening engagement with millions of Somalis living abroad and improving their role in the country’s development.

The centre, established with funding from China, will serve as a hub for implementing Somalia’s National Diaspora Policy and expanding cooperation between the federal government and Somali communities overseas.

Speaking at the inauguration, Barre described the diaspora as one of Somalia’s greatest national assets, crediting overseas Somalis with making significant contributions to the country’s reconstruction through investment, remittances and skills transfer.

He said the government remained committed to strengthening partnerships with the diaspora and creating a framework that enables greater participation in Somalia’s economic and national development.

Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali said the centre would help build stronger trust and engagement between the government and Somali communities abroad, while Chinese Ambassador Wang Yu said the project reflected the growing partnership between Beijing and Mogadishu.

The opening of the centre underscores Somalia’s efforts to deepen engagement with its diaspora, whose remittances are estimated to contribute more than $1 billion annually to the country’s economy and remain a vital source of household income, investment and humanitarian support.

The project also highlights China’s expanding development cooperation with Somalia, which has increasingly focused on infrastructure, institutional capacity and economic development.