Mogadishu, Monday, August 4, 2025 – The National Library of Somalia (locally known as Maktabadda Qaranka) was honored to receive a historic visit from H.E. Farah Sheikh Abdulkhadir, Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education.This milestone marks the first ministerial visit since the appointment of the current Director General on July 2, 2025, and comes at a critical time in the ongoing efforts to revive the nation’s most symbolic knowledge institution, dormant since the outbreak of civil conflict in the early 1990s.
Reception and Briefing
The Minister was welcomed at the National Library’s temporary office inside the National Museum building, where he met with the Director General and core staff. During the briefing session, the leadership outlined key challenges faced by the library in its quest for full recovery:
– The inoperative status of the main library building despite its purpose-built structure
– Lack of a legal framework or National Library Act, which has prevented the institution from being formally recognized as a functioning public agency
– No annual budget or operational financing within the Ministry’s program structure
– Incomplete rehabilitation works, previously initiated under the Isxilqaan civic campaign in 2021
– No access to library services — physical or digital — for the Somali public
Tour of the National Library Building
Following the discussion, the Minister was personally escorted through the National Library’s main building, which remains closed despite its significant architectural footprint and public importance. The tour covered various spaces including reading halls, research rooms, archival storage, and offices — all structurally intact but in urgent need of rehabilitation and equipping
Minister’s Commitment
Minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkhadir expressed his full commitment to the National Library’s revival. In his remarks, he vowed to:
– Prioritize the rehabilitation of at least one complete level of the circular building to make it operational for essential services
– Scan available Ministry projects to identify possible budget reallocations in support of the library’s revival
– Advance the development of a National Library Act, a legal instrument that must pass through the Ministerial Council and then Parliamentary vote, in order to formally establish the Somali National Library as a public institution with the right to receive dedicated budget lines, hire staff, and operate nationwide
– Ensure the full resumption of the Somali National Library after more than three decades of institutional dormancy
Higher Education Commission: A Supporting Vision
The Minister’s visit comes at a time when the Federal Government has approved the formation of a new Higher Education Commission, mandated to regulate universities and promote high-quality, equitable, and innovative tertiary education across Somalia.
A functioning National Library is central to this vision — enabling research, information access, cultural preservation, and lifelong learning — all of which are essential to the rebuilding of Somalia’s knowledge ecosystem.
A Moment of Gratitude
We extend our sincere appreciation to Minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkhadir for his visionary leadership and symbolic visit to Somalia’s national library agency — the last remaining cultural institution yet to be restored following the civil war.
His pledge to secure legal, structural, and financial foundations for the National Library brings hope that the Somali people will soon regain access to their collective memory and learning heritage.
