Validating a green skills curriculum to open doors for Somali youth

Somalia is one of the youngest countries in the world, with more than 75 percent of its population under the age of 30. Yet youth unemployment stands at roughly 34 percent, and a recent analysis by the Institute of Economic Affairs Somalia found that more than 60 percent of Somalis aged 15 to 34 were neither working nor enrolled in education or training in 2025.

Closing the gap between training and the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive labour market, SOS Children's Villages in Somalia, through the Green Growth: Empowering Youth for a Green Future project, supported by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada, is empowering Somali youth with the skills needed for sustainable careers in the rapidly expanding green economy.

In July, SOS Children's Villages, together with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education of Somalia, held a three-day Technical Review and Validation Workshop on a Green Skills Competency-Based Curriculum in Mogadishu. The curriculum spans four in-demand skills: climate-smart agribusiness, off-grid solar systems, solar stove making, and medical waste management. Line ministries, industry experts and educators came together to ensure the curriculum is technically sound, relevant to the labour market, and aligned with national standards, while building ownership among key stakeholders.

“This validation workshop is a critical step toward ensuring young Somalis have a curriculum that reflects both international standards and the realities of our local labour market,” said Mohamed Haji, Education Manager at SOS Children's Villages Somalia. “When we bring ministries, industry experts and educators to the same table, we are building a shared commitment to give young people the practical skills they need for decent work.”

Building the infrastructure for green skills

The curriculum validation comes as the facilities needed to deliver the training are already taking shape, some fully built, others nearing completion. Solar energy and solar stove-making training workshops have been completed at Baidoa TVET Secondary School, as well as medical waste management training workshops. Meanwhile, the Green Tech Institute in Mogadishu is nearing completion.

Similarly, greenhouses for climate-smart agribusiness training are now in place at Baidoa and Balcad. Each site is equipped to run four cohorts of 40 to 50 trainees over six months, and gender-segregated, disability-friendly twin latrines have been built at the Baidoa and Mogadishu sites to improve access and safety for women and people with disabilities.

In a country where recurrent drought and other climate shocks regularly threaten food security and livelihoods, this climate-smart agribusiness training is about more than new jobs: it is also a matter of survival, giving young people and their communities practical tools to adapt to a changing climate and respond when the next emergency hits.

Community mobilization and enrolment of the first cohorts for solar energy, agribusiness, and medical waste management training are already underway, with the first solar stove-making cohort expected to begin in December 2026 or, at the latest, in January 2027.

A roadmap for what comes next

“The green skills sector represents one of the clearest pathways to employment for Somali youth today,” said Abukar Ahmed Mohamed, Director of TVET at the Federal Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education. “By validating this curriculum with our partners, we are setting a clear direction for training institutions nationwide, one that equips young people with skills employers actually need, in sectors that are growing.”

The curriculum will establish a standardized, competency-based foundation for training, guide instructor preparation, and support the rollout of training to the first cohorts. Partners will then assess the practicality and performance of the initial training cycle, using lessons learned and feedback to identify areas for improvement and strengthen future delivery.

Our key partners in delivering green, employable skills include government ministries at both federal and state levels, including the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education; the Ministry of Youth and Sports; the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; and the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. These partnerships strengthen the credibility and sustainability of our work while advancing our localization approach by building the capacity of local institutions and ensuring that green skills initiatives are aligned with national and state priorities.

For a country where most young people lack access to stable employment, this validated curriculum is a concrete step toward a more skilled, resilient generation,  equipped to build a greener economy and a stronger future for their communities.