Writing

Opinion essays and articles on the ideas I find worth arguing about.

OpinionNovember 3, 2026

The 3C Cycle: Why Somalia’s Education Keeps Producing Hollow Graduates

Every answer to “why is Somalia’s education in trouble?” holds some truth. But side by side, they point to something more specific than a “broken system.” I call it the 3C Cycle: three gaps, capacity, control and conscience, that keep producing hollow graduates.

AcademicAugust 13, 2026

Higher Education Outcomes in Somalia: A Dead End or a Warning That Demands Attention?

Somalia's higher education system has made remarkable progress, but it now stands at a critical crossroads. Families invest scarce resources in university education, and institutions produce thousands of graduates each year. Yet unreliable labour-market information, programmes disconnected from national workforce needs, and recruitment shaped by personal networks leave many graduates unemployed and dependent on their families. The central question, therefore, is not simply how many universities Somalia has or how many students graduate each year, it is where Somali graduates go after leaving university.

OpinionAugust 9, 2026

In the Midst of the Chaos, There Is a Lesson to Be Learned — The Somali Paradox

What looks like chaos from the outside may contain a system of its own. In Somalia, people have repeatedly built practical solutions where formal institutions were absent or unable to respond, from hawala and mobile money to telecommunications, livestock networks, xeer, and education. These are not simply stories of survival. They are stories of adaptation, trust, ingenuity, and collective action. Perhaps the real lesson is this: sometimes the system does not come first. People begin solving the problem, and the system grows around what works.

TalkJuly 31, 2026

Problem Solving for Teachers: Notes from a Workshop at Alnor Academy

I ran a problem-solving workshop for Alnor Academy's teaching staff, and the room gave me as much as I gave it. What started as a session on symptoms, causes, and shūrā turned into an unscripted debate about AI in homework — and why a school needs a real policy, not each teacher improvising alone.

TalkJuly 30, 2026

What I Told Kismayo's Graduates about Current Employability Prospects

Notes from a lecture I gave to Kismayo's newest graduates at Agan Hotel: a degree isn't the hard part anymore, and almost nobody prepares you for what comes after it. Two doors get all the attention — start a business, or get hired — but two more, internships and volunteering, quietly build the CV that makes either one possible.

OpinionJuly 19, 2026

Kismayo Is Separating Primary and Secondary Schools. The Direction Is Right — the Follow-Through Is Everything

Somalia's schools were rebuilt by educators and communities with no state behind them. Now Jubaland is separating primary from secondary in Kismayo — a step I welcome, with real questions about what comes after the announcement.