Qatar and Somali established diplomatic relations in 1970 and both the countries are member states of the Arab League. The two nations have distinguished and solid relations in many fields, including economic, investment and development co-operation.
Qatar’s development projects in Somalia aim at improving the lives of Somali people. These projects have contributed greatly to the local economy. Mogadishu-Jawhar road and the Mogadishu-Afgoye road project links the capital with a number of cities. Qatar also helped in building the headquarters of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Mogadishu Municipality and other projects.
President of Somalia H E Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said during his visit to Qatar recently that the country has offered to act as a hub for Somali exports, which will facilitate and make it easy for Somalia to access global trade. He said that Somalia is using the global influence of Qatar to expose Somalia to the rest of the world.
“Qatar is one of our strategic partners, and we have a lot of engagement with Qatar, including at the level where H H the Amir stands up and says, ‘I will advocate for Somalia.’ This is a rare gift available to the people of Somalia,” Mohamud added.
The Somali President called on Qatari businessmen to visit Somalia and explore investment opportunities which the country offers in all economic sectors.
Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia H E Salah Ahmed Jama said that President Mohamud’s visit to Qatar gave a boost to bilateral relations.
The talks between Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Somali President dealt with several issues of concern to both sides, especially those related to developing bilateral relations and supporting the Somali government in its efforts to enhance security and stability.
Qatar has been the primary partner of Somali state and institutions in their efforts to revive and rebuild the Somali state.
Somalia seeks Qatari investments in many sectors to set up projects that can support development in the country and create job opportunities for the youth.
It has enormous potential in terms of fisheries, agriculture and livestock.
Qatar has contributed significantly to projects for eradicating illiteracy in Somalia, educating around 300,000 students, and another project seeks to empower Somali youth and provide them with job opportunities in the fishing sector, considering Somalia’s 3,700km-long coastline.
