March 2023 marked a turning point for Somali journalism with the launch of a new, internationally recognised curriculum for the bachelor’s degree program at the Somali National University (SNU). This milestone progress fills a critical gap in professionalising the media workforce, equipping journalists with the ethical frameworks and regulations needed to effectively inform their society.
Following the university’s closure in 1990 in the wake of the civil war, the Faculty (now Department) of Journalism reopened in 2017 with a commitment to training the next generation of journalists. The records of the undergraduate curriculum offered before the war had been destroyed, but the lecturers did their best to compile courses and put together a degree of adequate standard.
Mr. Abdulkadir Diesow took up the position as Dean of the Faculty of Journalism when it was reopened. The first thing he did after opening was to offer a one- and two-year certificate programme for mid-career professionals and an Advanced Diploma in Journalism (offered in the afternoons), besides the undergraduate degree programme of four years.
“Prior to reestablishing our Faculty,” he says, “journalists in Somalia learned on the job, lacking formal training in ethics, regulations and their obligations to society. The diploma courses address their need for training, and we’re already seeing graduates getting promoted for the valuable knowledge they bring to their newsrooms.”
Recognising the need for a revamped undergraduate curriculum, Abdulkadir Diesow, a Tampere University journalism graduate, approached Fojo for support in the process.
Kaarle Nordentstreng, professor in journalism at Tampere University and Abdulkadir Diesow’s former teacher, together spearheaded a two-year review process with two additional international consultants. The process took two years and on 3 March 2023 the new and revised BA in Journalism was finally launched.
“The new Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at SNU ensures that graduates are equipped to contribute to a professional and responsible Somali media landscape and that their degree will be accepted in international scholarship and exchange programmes,” says Abdulkadir Diesow. The first cohort of students has begun their studies, marking a new chapter for journalism in Somalia.
