MOGADISHU (SD) – A conference that took place in Mogadishu over the past two days focused on the importance of a Media Strategy for Somalia and how to unify the messages from the federal government and the regional states.

The Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism of the Federal Government of Somalia organized the conference, with various officials from the federal government, regional states, the Banadir Administration, media, civil society, and international partners in attendance.

The Deputy Minister and Acting Minister, Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Cadaala, who spoke first, mentioned that the Somali government is focused on unifying its messages and guiding the Somali public and that significant progress has been made.

The conference addressed three main topics: the management of modern media relations, improving and unifying the messages of government institutions, and facilitating access to information for the media and the public.

The Director-General of the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Abdullahi Xayir Ducaale, stated that the conference provided an opportunity for the government, media, and the public to discuss strengthening public awareness and increasing government transparency.

The Minister of Defense of Somalia, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, highlighted the critical role the media has played in the fight against Al-Shabaab.

The Minister of Communications of the Federal Government of Somalia, Mohamed Aden Macalin, mentioned that they had successfully shut down Al-Shabaab’s social media accounts.

Finally, the international partners praised the progress in improving and unifying media relations and in combating fake news spread by Al-Shabaab to mislead the public.