Türkiye donates advanced media equipment to Somali national media

By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Türkiye donated sophisticated cameras and live broadcast systems to the Somali national media on Sunday.

The equipment was handed over by Alper Aktas, the Turkish ambassador to Somalia, during a ceremony in the capital Mogadishu.

The state-of-the-art equipment is designed to strengthen and enhance the various departments of the national media, providing a crucial boost to the government’s communication and public broadcasting capabilities, according to Somali Information Minister Daud Aweis, who spoke at the handover ceremony.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) coordinator to Somalia, Zafer Eski, and other officials from both nations attended the event.

Aweis also thanked the government of Türkiye and TIKA for their “consistent and unwavering support to Somalia,” bolstering the national media capabilities.

He said that Somalia will leverage this new technology to advance critical national agendas.

“We provided modern camera equipment to Somali National Television (SNTV), which operates under the Somali Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA),” the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu said in a statement after the event.

The Turkish state development aid agency has implemented over 500 projects since starting work in Somalia in 2011, contributing to the country's development in fields ranging from health care and agriculture to education and infrastructure.

Somalia and Türkiye developed their close friendship in 2011 after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (then prime minister) paid a visit to the country, the first non-African leader to do so in over 20 years.

Since then, Turkish humanitarian and technical development assistance to Somalia has topped $1 billion, including projects in areas such as health, education, municipal services, and infrastructure.