Islamabad : July 31, 2026 – The OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Somalia in Islamabad, officially launched the second phase of the COMSTECH-CCoE Somalia Program at the OIC-COMSTECH Secretariat, Islamabad.
The ceremony brought together vice chancellors and rectors of leading public and private sector universities, ambassadors of Sudan, Tajikistan, Yemen, and Rwanda, senior officials from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Somalia, representatives of partner institutions, and senior officials of OIC-COMSTECH, reflecting broad support for the initiative.
In his welcome address, Coordinator General OIC-COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, said that human resource development remains one of COMSTECH’s highest priorities and emphasized that sustainable development in the Muslim world depends on investing in education, scientific research, innovation, and advanced technical skills.
He stated that the COMSTECH-CCoE Somalia Program represents another significant milestone in COMSTECH’s efforts to empower Somali youth, researchers, scientists, and professionals through quality education, specialized training, and institutional collaboration.
He appreciated the cooperation of the Embassy of Somalia and the member institutions of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence (CCoE) for supporting this important initiative and expressed confidence that the programme would contribute significantly to Somalia’s socio-economic development and institutional capacity.
Addressing the ceremony, H.E. Sheikhnur Mohamed Hassan, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia to Pakistan, expressed his sincere gratitude to COMSTECH, the Government of Pakistan, and the member institutions of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence for their continued support to Somalia in the fields of higher education, science, technology, and capacity building.
He said the fellowship programme would provide valuable opportunities for Somali scientists, researchers, and professionals to acquire advanced knowledge and practical skills that would help strengthen Somalia’s academic, scientific, and development sectors.
He described the initiative as another manifestation of the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and Somalia and appreciated COMSTECH’s leadership in promoting scientific cooperation among OIC member states.
Under the second phase of the programme, 25 fully funded fellowships have been announced for Somali nationals currently living and working in Somalia. The fellowships are being offered by leading member institutions of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence (CCoE) in collaboration with the Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP).
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The programme offers three- and six-month research fellowships in STEM disciplines and public health, technical training in industrial settings, short courses in allied health sciences and nursing, as well as specialized training in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Cyber Security, Remote Sensing, Biotechnology, Digital Skills, Precision Agriculture, Food Processing, and Agricultural Research.
In addition, the programme promotes faculty exchanges, joint research supervision, curriculum development, laboratory support, institutional partnerships, and academic collaboration between Pakistani and Somali universities.
Eligible applicants include Somali nationals pursuing or holding Master’s, PhD, and Postdoctoral qualifications, with the objective of equipping them with state-of-the-art knowledge, research expertise, and practical skills to contribute effectively to Somalia’s national development.
The capacity-building programme will be jointly coordinated by COMSTECH and the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Somalia, ensuring transparent application processing, selection, and placement of candidates.
The launch of the second phase of the Somalia Programme further strengthens COMSTECH’s expanding capacity-building initiatives across the Muslim world. According to COMSTECH’s 2025 Annual Report, the organization implemented scientific and educational programmes in 54 countries during the year, training nearly 5,000 scientists and researchers, awarding 759 scholarships and fellowships, organizing 68 training programmes, providing 52 research grants, and implementing 174 scientific and development initiatives.
Through its growing network of universities, research institutions, and strategic partners, COMSTECH continues to advance science diplomacy, higher education, innovation, and human resource development across OIC member states and beyond.
