Somalia is set to witness the construction of two technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools, to be located in Jowhar in the south-central Hirshabelle state and Baidoa in the South West state.

In late August, East Africa-headquartered architecture and engineering practice FBW Group was appointed to design the schools; the group is working with Danish consultancy Niras on the project.

The scheme’s objective is to ensure trained youth find adequate employment and generate higher income and that local businesses use the TVET hub's services.

The project is part of the second phase of a wider six-year programme to build a network of ‘TVET+ Service Hubs’ in Somalia. The initiative was launched in February 2021 and is being executed by a Norwegian-Somali consortium of YME Foundation and the local Gurmad for Sustainable Aid (GSA). It is funded by German development bank KfW and was developed in partnership with Somalia’s Ministry of Planning and Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

The first phase comprises the physical extension and further conceptual development of the existing Professor Adow Vocational and Training Centre in Galkayo (established by YME Foundation and GSA, and managed by GSA) to expand it into a full TVET+ service hub. Local contractor Mogadishu Stars General Trading is working on the scheme.

Three decades of civil war have significantly degraded Somalia’s social and economic infrastructure and the government has been unable to provide an adequate support system for its population. Primary and secondary education net enrolment is 17% nationally, while literacy rates among the general population are 40% (and lower still among women), and youth unemployment is estimated at 67%.

In order to boost sectors that are currently seeing investment, such as real estate, telecoms and energy, and to address high youth unemployment, there is a strong need to equip young adults with relevant technical skills. High-quality and sustainable TVET interventions are thus seen as critical to Somalia's development.

The TVET school design project is FBW Group’s first pschemeroject in Somalia, with the organisation having 30 years of experience designing and delivering complex, high-quality and internationally compliant construction projects across East Africa and beyond.

“FBW is proud to be part of this important mission to empower Somali youth through transformative education and skills development,” said the group’s director Antje Eckoldt.

“We are looking forward to working with Niras in building the future of vocational education for the local population and creating innovative learning spaces that will deliver the education and skills that will open doors to opportunity.

“Sustainability is an important part of our design remit and we’re looking at a range of measures such as grey water recycling for irrigation in order to increase tree cover and the use of locally sourced natural materials in order to reduce embodied carbon.”

Recent projects delivered by FBW Group across the southern and eastern parts of the African continent include the US$12.8 million Clinical Research Excellence And Training Open Resource (CREATOR) centre in Malawi – a postgraduate medical specialist and research training facility inaugurated by President Lazarus Chakwera in August 2024.

Located in Blantyre, CREATOR is expected to transform postgraduate medical education and research in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its mission is to ensure medical and scientific expertise will remain in Malawi, helping inspire the next generation of African scientists.

According to FBW Group, the architectural design of the CREATOR building “combines a modern scientific and welcoming aesthetic, with high technical performance specifications and longevity”. The facility’s design includes a roof celebration space and an innovation hub for translational support and enterprise development.

The five-storey building has a ‘round room’ for collaborative decision-making and a webinar theatre for international learning and teaching engagement. Its facilities include a new laboratory, allowing for single-cell transcriptomics, modern imaging and rapid pathogen sequencing, along with modern teaching spaces, a postgraduate resource centre for 200 clinical trainees, and library and office spaces to support advanced epidemiology and clinical trials.

CREATOR is a partnership between the local Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS; previously the College of Medicine) and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, and England’s Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and the University of Liverpool, along with medical research charity Wellcome, headquartered in London.

FBW Group’s services on the project included architecture, structural and civil engineering, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering, including the preparation of construction packages, tendering and technical oversight during construction.

FBW Group is also part of the team tasked with delivering the masterplan for the US$1.5 billion Green City Kigali project in Rwanda’s capital city.

The city will cover the full 600 hectares of Kinyinya Hill, a suburb of Kigali, and will deliver up to 30,000 housing units. The masterplan features a ‘forest eco-park’ at its centre and includes a bus rapid transit (BRT) transport system.

A pilot phase of the project, set to launch over the next few years, will see the construction of around 2,000 homes on a 16-hectare site.

FBW Group was appointed as the local team on the ground to deliver architectural, structural and civil engineering, and MEP services. It will also be involved in the preparations for the construction phase of the initial scheme, which could be completed by 2030.

Its roles will include overseeing local compliance, suggestions on local material supply, environmental standards and stakeholder engagement and submissions.

In November 2024, the government of the city of Kigali formally adopted the concept masterplan for the green city.

“The release of the masterplan, following an extensive review process and input from local communities, is a major step forward for what promises to be a transformational development, not just for Rwanda but for Africa and the rest of the world,” said FBW Group’s Eckoldt.

“The pilot project we are currently involved in will lay the ground for the design of quality, low-carbon and resource-efficient housing types suitable for various sites and density conditions, and point the way towards the future for sustainable urban development.

“One of the aims of Green City [Kigali] is to combine appropriate technologies, progressive thinking and the use of local skills and materials to show that this urban environment has everything it needs to sustain its community and for people to live green.

“As part of our initial work, we have been exploring local low-carbon construction methods and materials, and how they can be used to their maximum effect. We have also looked at ideas relating to urban farming and a green economy that will create jobs for existing and new residents on Kinyinya Hill, all based on low-tech processes, waste reduction and circular economy principles.

“In the masterplan, up to 55% of the area is made up of publicly accessible spaces, with 19% of the overall site earmarked as landscaped areas for natural habitats.”

The plan also includes essential infrastructure including roads, business centres, schools, hospitals and other vital facilities.

Developments will be required to comply with the construction regulations of the masterplan to achieve a sustainable and climate-resilient city. The EDGE green building standard and international certification system will also play an important role. The project aims to increase skills and job opportunities and will mainly use locally sourced and produced materials.

Looking forward to 2025 and beyond, FBW Group managing director Paul Moores sees a raft of opportunities for the business, particularly in the East African countries where its offices are based.

“A UN report published in January shows continued robust growth in East Africa and we are well-placed to take advantage, helping developers and investors deliver their projects using our strong local knowledge and expertise,” said Moores.

“We’re seeing signs of increasing investment in the region from a variety of sources, both domestically and internationally, and that bodes well for the economic outlook.

“In Uganda, the oil industry continues to develop at pace and we are involved in a number of projects helping provide the infrastructure it needs. We recently completed the creation of an oil field services base camp in the west of the country.

“In Kenya, we’re working to help create low-cost housing solutions, while our engineers deliver support to major multi-international manufacturing, and food and beverage companies.

“And Rwanda continues to be a strong source of work for us, not least through the [Green City] Kigali project, which is set to continue moving forward this year.

“The healthcare sector is another area where we continue to grow and deliver developments that are truly transformational and life-changing. We’re proud of our partnerships with major international health organisations.

“And, as the year moves on, we are seeing increasing interest in the design and construction of data centres, which we believe represents an enormous opportunity for East Africa.”

Top photo: Expansion of Professor Adow Vocational and Training Centre in Somalia (Source: Facebook @ YME Foundation)