Somalia’s Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs will begin a nationwide registration of mosques, Qur’anic schools and religious leaders as part of efforts to strengthen oversight of the country’s religious institutions, Minister Sheikh Mukhtaar Robow Ali has announced.
The announcement followed a meeting chaired by Robow with the ministry’s director-general and department heads to review progress on institutional reforms and government priorities.
The minister ordered the immediate rollout of a national registration programme covering mosques and Qur’anic schools.
Once the registration process is completed, the ministry plans to provide training programmes to enhance the knowledge and professional skills of registered mosque imams and Qur’anic school teachers.
Training
The initiative is part of broader institutional reforms aimed at creating an official database of religious institutions and clerics, while supporting government efforts to standardise religious education and strengthen engagement with leaders.
Robow praised the ministry’s leadership for accelerating reforms and improving internal accountability, saying recent measures had strengthened coordination and helped revive projects that had previously fallen behind schedule.
The announcement comes as Somalia prepares for the graduation of the first cohort from the Institute of Islamic Studies later this week, marking a milestone in the Ministry’s efforts to expand formal Islamic education.
Robow also instructed department directors to work closely with the ministry’s leadership to improve public services and ensure government programmes are implemented effectively.
