Monday 20, Jan 2025 {HMC} Leyla Abdi Mohamed wanted to become a journalist from an early age – her motivations stemmed from her firsthand experiences of Somalia’s civil war.
“I witnessed firsthand how the civil war and conflicts in my country resulted in numerous tragedies that needed to be documented – essentially, living in a war-torn city motivated me to pursue journalism,” she says.
Today, with 13 years of experience in Somalia’s dynamic media sector, the 30-year-old Ms. Mohamed has exceeded her childhood aspirations and has become the editor-in-chief of one of the Horn of Africa’s leading radio stations, as well as a well-regarded activist speaking up for women’s representation, inclusion and rights in her field.
“Although I started my career at a young age, I have never regretted my decision for a second. I saw journalism as the only way to build a career that would transform my life, and it certainly has,” says Ms. Mohamed, who is also known as ‘Leyla Ugbaad.’
Student
Ms. Mohamed was born in Mogadishu in 1994. She attended the Al-Farhan Primary and Secondary School in Mogadishu from 2001 to 2010, and went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in public administration at the University of Somalia in 2013, graduating in 2016.
“I regularly took an active role in school competitions, including the early morning assemblies where literature and other activities were performed. I was particularly involved in reading poems and reports, which became a platform where I felt my dream of becoming a journalist could come to life. My Somali reading skills were considered to be exceptional, and my classmates often encouraged me to keep pursuing my dreams,” she says.
“I didn’t start my university education with a degree related to journalism. At the time, there was only one university in Mogadishu that offered a journalism programme, and when I discovered that the courses were taught in Arabic – I wasn’t proficient in Arabic at the time – it wasn’t possible for me to enroll. Still, I wanted to work in the media so I pursued my education in a different area, but at the same time looked to gain practical experience in media houses instead,” she says.
This academic direction soon changed. After she completed her undergraduate degree, Ms. Mohamed was awarded a full scholarship for an online Master of Arts degree in Journalism Innovation and Leadership at the University of Central Lancashire. She began in January 2023 and graduated in July last year.
“This was a lifetime opportunity for me. I received a scholarship for what my heart desired from one of the best universities in the United Kingdom,” Ms. Mohamed says.
“I wanted to go beyond the limits of an undergraduate education,” she adds. “When a scholarship presented itself, I seized the chance as I was driven by my passion for journalism and the belief that it would develop my career and enhance my ability to excel in my field.”
Alongside that academic achievement, Ms. Mohamed also graduated in 2024 with a master’s degree in diplomacy and international relations from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya.
“My graduate studies can also help pave the way for a brighter future in academia as I hope to one day be able to teach at universities in both Somalia and abroad,” she says.
Journalist
Ms. Mohamed began paid work in journalism in 2012 at the age of 18, while undertaking her undergraduate studies. She worked at Radio Kulmiye, a Mogadishu-based broadcaster, as a reporter until 2013. She then joined the now-closed, UN-backed Radio Bar Kulan, where she worked as a reporter and producer until 2015.
That same year, she moved to a leading Somali news outlet, Goobjoog, where she worked until 2016.
“Before I started working at my first radio station, I sat with my mother and told her that I wanted to be a journalist. Initially, she refused, arguing that I was too young, only 16. I convinced her that I could be earning a monthly salary and supporting the family within a couple of years,” Ms. Mohamed says.
“But the driving force behind my decision wasn’t the salary I mentioned – rather, it’s my deep passion for the media,” she adds. “My mother’s concern wasn’t about my age, it was about the dangers faced by journalists in Somalia, as many had been killed simply for doing their job.”
According to the independent organization the Committee to Protect Journalists, Somalia is one of the most dangerous places to work as a journalist. Since 1992, 79 journalists have been killed in Somalia.
Editor
The support of her family also helped with her next career move: a shift to Nairobi and take up a position as a producer with a prominent media outlet, Radio Ergo.
Run by an international non-government organization (NGO), International Media Support, and currently financially supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the radio produces and broadcasts humanitarian news and information across Somalia and the Somali-speaking region.
Its programming covers health, education, displacement, agriculture and livestock, gender, employment, environment, culture, governance, among other topics. According to its website, Radio Ergo “aims to provide local audiences with the critical information they require to make better informed choices on the important issues affecting their lives and livelihoods.”
By 2018, after just four years, Ms. Mohamed was promoted to the position of the radio station’s editor-in-chief – at a time when very few Somali women reached the upper echelons of leading news media outlets – and managed a team of 40 journalists in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
“The radio is the sole media providing specific and daily humanitarian information to Somalis,” she says.
“I oversee the radio’s programming covering themes including health, education, protection, agriculture and livestock, gender, youth and employment, environmental protection, culture and governance. And we collaborate with NGOs, UN agencies and other partners on the development of effective programming content.”
Advocate
Alongside her work, Ms. Mohamed also raised her voice outside of newsrooms in an attempt to change Somalia’s male-dominated media landscape.
“When I began my career in the media, I found myself without a role model to inspire me. I wanted a mentor or hero in the field who could guide me and show me what was possible. Someone whose stories I could listen to, and I craved a deeper connection and a sense of direction in my career,” she says.
“When I looked around to see women journalists who could set an example for me, I could not find any role model because they were all in lower-level positions, with no management responsibilities, assigned to presenting news and reporting soft stories,” she adds.
The situation for women is slowly improving. According to the Federation of Somali Journalists (FESOJ), of the 1,100 media workers currently employed across Somalia, around 400 are women.
According to the Iftin Foundation, a local NGO dedicated to educational research and development, the number of journalism and media studies graduates across Somalia in 2022 was 92, of which 39 – or 42 per cent – were women.
As with her vocation, Ms. Mohamed started early with her advocacy. In 2014, with a small number of female colleagues, she set up an NGO with this in mind: Somali Women in Media (SOMWIM).
“My goal is to promote gender equality and support women journalists in leadership roles. I wanted to inspire solidarity among female journalists,” she says.
SOMWIM works to enhance the visibility of women in Somali media and promote their leadership in the field, and focuses on building the capacity of female journalists.
Since its inception, sometimes in partnership with other local media associations, SOMWIM has provided training for hundreds of Somali journalists.
“I emphasize ethical journalism and education. Journalistic best practices are based on values and facts, not on the wishes of the journalists, and that’s what I try to instill in them,” Ms. Mohamed says.
“I am determined to continue supporting female journalists with the help of anyone who is willing to assist me. I feel proud to say that I am not the same person I was 13 years ago when I first entered the media and did not understand the challenges that lie ahead,” she continues. “But today, I firmly believe that my efforts, along with other women’s working in the media, will greatly benefit Somalia, particularly in fostering peace and progress.”
UN support
The United Nations advocates for the significant role that the press, journalism, access and dissemination of information play in ensuring a sustainable future.
According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), media freedom and access to information feed into the wider development objective of empowering people, and empowerment is a multi-dimensional social and political process that helps people gain control over their own lives. UNESCO goes on to state that this can only be achieved through access to accurate, fair and unbiased information, representing a plurality of opinions, and the means to actively communicate vertically and horizontally, thereby participating in the active life of the community.
In Somalia, the United Nations supports media development through its work with various associations around the country, including SOMWIN, with which it has supported various trainings over recent years.
“The media have an important role to play in Somali society as the country rebuilds, and they are potentially powerful channels of information in a society. The messages they transmit can change or reinforce social mores and behaviours, and mobilize citizens to take progressive actions,” says Ari Gaitanis, the Chief of the Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Group (SCPAG) at the UN Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS).
“And just like in other countries, journalism in Somalia is a dynamic sector and it can also be tough industry for Somali women to break into. It’s not uncommon for those seeking to entre it to have to overcome intense social pressure to become reporters, sometimes even studying in secret or working anonymously,” he adds. “It’s a testament to Ms. Mohamed’s drive and tenacity to have reached the heights she has, and it sets a wonderful example – both through her reporting and her advocacy work – for other Somali women who may be considering entering this important field of work.”
