Somali President awarded honorary PhD for championing peace 

A total of 162 people, among them Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Muhamud have been awarded higher degrees in various fields at the University for Peace in Mogadishu.

President Muhamud was awarded PhD after he successfully did a research focusing on peace, governance and development in Somalia at the event where that 29 female scholars awarded. 

Prof. Samuel Kale Ewusi, the University Director for Africa Regional programme said in a statement that out of the 18 PhD graduates, only 2 were women, a situation which calls for the need for deliberate support for women in Somalia to study.

He also appealed for positive marginalization to make decisions to sponsor women to ensure that they attain Masters degrees and PhD qualifications.  

Professor Ewusi who specialises in peace studies and international relations at the university said it was by design that the university has operations in Somalia and that the first Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) graduates of its programme in Africa were all from Somalia.
 
“If the University for Peace has to be in one place in Africa, that place has to be in Somalia because the mission of the university is to lessen the obstacles to peace. If we have to bring peace anywhere, it has to be in Somalia because it was once the ground zero of conflict in Africa,” he said.

The Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), Anita Kiki Gbeho said that currently the fruits of education are more relevant and impactful in Somalia for development to be attained.

“Education transforms lives and, as such, is a foundational pillar of the United Nations mission to build peace, eradicate poverty, and drive sustainable development. Education, whether formal or informal, empowers and enables. It drives upward socio-economic mobility, it is the most efficient leveller and, perhaps most important of all, education provides opportunities for its recipients to meaningfully contribute towards nation-building,” she said.

According to the statement, President Muhamud commended the University for emphasizing the paramount importance of quality education for a productive, sustainable and peaceful country, Somalia.

“Somalia does not lack skills. We have enough qualified people now, thanks to the University for Peace, and we are getting more and more every day. Today, we have graduates who could not even dream at all of graduating inside Somalia in specific subjects like environmental science and peace and security. This is a new variable,” said President Mohamud.
 
"Nothing can exist, and prosper without peace. Peace is the central pillar for humanity in terms of development, science and technology,” he noted. “When you have the opportunity to think, research, and decide then only you can make progress and development."

President Mohamud pledged to create a scholarship fund to support 100 students willing to pursue doctoral degrees at the university to encourage other students considering applying for the university’s doctoral programme.
  
The graduation ceremony was the University for Peace’s 2nd such event for students in its specialised Somalia programme. The first cohort of students took part in a graduation event in 2021. 

Established in 1980, the University for Peace’s focus areas include conflict prevention, human security, human rights, environmental security and post-conflict rehabilitation. In Somalia, it offers specialised post-graduate programmes with a focus on peacebuilding, conflict prevention, human security, human rights, environmental security and post-conflict resolution.