Mogadishu University (MU) was founded in 1997 with only six professors and 200 students in a privately owned house in Mogadishu’s southern outskirts. It was established in September 1997 as a non-profit, non-governmental institution of higher learning, governed by a Board of Trustees and a University Council.
Mogadishu University: Historical Background
The story of Mogadishu University begins in 1993 when professors from the former Somali National University and other prominent intellectuals met in Mogadishu to discuss the possibility of resurrecting some of the destroyed public institution’s faculties.
Due to legal concerns, the group decided to establish the ‘University of Eastern Africa,’ a non-profit and non-state institution of higher learning. The goal of that project was to give students from the faculties of Islamic studies and languages the opportunity to complete their course work.
The initiative was founded in a privately owned house in Mogadishu’s southern outskirts. However, the Somalia civil war spilled over into the new university site, and a week after it opened, warring militia looted the property, taking vehicles, furniture, books, and documents with them. This resulted in the suspension of all university activities.
On 20 July 1995, the group reconvened and decided that the priority was to establish a National Institution for Private Education, or NIPE, that promoted community-based education and advanced the idea of establishing a university by 2000.
They also discussed the establishment of a teacher training institute, as proposed by a local non-governmental organization. The new community schools were in desperate need of qualified teachers.
The NIPE formed a committee to investigate the proposal and report back to the group at its next annual meeting. A year later, the group reconvened and reviewed the committee’s reports and proposals, which were met with enthusiasm, support, and acclamation from all of the founding members, and Mogadishu University was established.
The committee was given full authority to work toward the university’s opening. Members of the committee traveled to universities in Yemen, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Sudan, and Egypt to further investigate the concept. It was then relocated to Mohamud Ahmed Ali’s renowned abandoned school building where it finally came into being in 1997.
Another local militia, however, took over the building and looted everything. Following that, MU built a new campus in Yaqshid with the help of donors and was able to relocate its new campus in the 2005/2006 academic year.
The Islamic Development Bank, among other donors, helped to launch the main campus in Mogadishu. Mogadishu University established a second campus in Bosaso, Somalia’s northeastern Puntland state, in 2008, which has since evolved into an independent university known as Red Sea University in Somalia.
Mogadishu University’s stats
Jaamacadda Muqdisho (MU), a small (uniRank enrollment range: 4,000-4,999 students) coeducational Somali higher education institution, is officially recognized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Higher Education of Somalia.
The institution has been invited to join the Educational Sector Committee of the Somali Aid Coordination Body (SACB). Mr. Fathudin Mohamed, Westley Bii, and Hussein M. Iman (MU Program Director) represented MU at the SACB Educational Sector Committee meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on September 21, 2004.
Dr. Abdurahman Moalim Abdullahi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Dr. Abdullahi Farah Asseyr, MD, Adviser to the President and Head of the Faculty of Health Sciences Affairs at MU, traveled to Norway for a 10-day visit and signed a partnership agreement with the University of Troms.
Mogadishu University’s Philosophy
In the mind of a war-torn community and the divided city of Mogadishu at the time, the initial vision of the heroic decision to work towards establishing a first non-state and non-profit university in Somalia was unbelievable, but the founding members insisted on the establishment of a higher education institution.
The university was founded on a vision to restore hope and socially change the community by providing high-quality education and new ideas to flourish amid the country’s civil war ruins. Their goal is to be the premier non-state and non-profit university in Somalia, dedicated to providing affordable and accessible high-quality education that is aligned with the Somali people’s national values.
MU has grown and gained a reputation to become one of Somalia’s and East Africa’s largest universities. It has become a symbol of hope for thousands of young Somalis, and it is working to achieve its strategic goal of becoming a leader of social and economic change. They are doing this by collaborating with the government, academic institutions, civil society groups, businesses, and international organizations.
Mogadishu University Admissions
The university provides courses and programs that lead to officially recognized higher education degrees such as pre-bachelor degrees (i.e. certificates, diplomas, associate or foundation), bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctorate degrees in a variety of fields of study.
Shari’a law, education, arts and humanities, economics and management sciences, nursing and health sciences, computer science and information technology, and political science and information are the seven faculties, and Arabic and English are the two languages of instruction, depending on the faculty.
This 23-year-old Somali higher-education institution has a selective admission policy that is based on entrance examinations as well as students’ previous academic records and grades. The admission rate for this Somali higher education organization is 50-60%, making it a fairly selective institution. International applicants are welcome to apply for admission.
To ensure the quality of its graduates, the university has created a solid curriculum and worked hard to recruit qualified academics. If no academics with the necessary qualifications are available in Somalia, they are recruited from outside the country through the university’s office in Nairobi, Kenya.
Students can also take advantage of a library, housing, sports facilities, financial aid and/or scholarships, study abroad and exchange programs, and administrative services at MU.
Mogadishu University- A prominent part of Somalian history
Mogadishu University is brimming with history which resulted in the university’s existence and accomplishments. It is a collection of six beautifully constructed campuses and is a popular travel location. The university offers travel guides to visitors traveling to Mogadishu who want to know more about the rich history of this academic institute.