The Federal Government of Somalia has taken a decisive step to protect its expanding digital landscape by officially launching a high-level cybersecurity certification program aimed at making civil servants the front-line defenders against global cyber threats.
Inaugurated by Mustafa Yasin Sheikh, Director General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), this initiative marks a major milestone in the nation’s “SCALED-UP” project. Supported by the World Bank and implemented through the African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI), the program aims to elevate Somalia’s Information Communication Technology (ICT) professionals to elite international standards.
As Somalia rapidly digitizes its public services and financial systems, the threat of sophisticated cyberattacks has become a primary national security concern. During the graduation ceremony held in Mogadishu, Director General Sheikh emphasized that building technical capacity is no longer an option but a necessity.
He stated that this training program is a pillar of the strategy to reinforce the resilience of Somalia’s digital infrastructure, ensuring that national data remains secure and that public systems can withstand the evolving tactics of modern cyber adversaries by equipping personnel with world-renowned skills.
The training is a rigorous certification process rather than a simple workshop, running from March 28 to May 8, 2026. The program is integrated through online sessions in Mogadishu and physical training in Nairobi.
Participants, all of whom hold relevant degrees and extensive experience in system administration, are competing for prestigious industry certifications, including CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), CISM (Certified Information Security Manager), CompTIA Security+, Certified Incident Handler (EC-Council), and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Lead Auditor. To maintain high quality, the Authority has established a “merit-only” transition system, meaning only those who pass international exams at one level can progress to the next.
This training initiative is part of a series of continuous successes Somalia is achieving in the digital sector. Earlier this year, the Federal Parliament approved the historic Cybersecurity Law, and the government recently launched the Somalia Computer Incident Response Team (SOMCIRT) to provide a national emergency response to hacking and data theft.
