Islamabad, August 1, 2026: The OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), in collaboration with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Somalia in Islamabad, on Friday launched the second phase of the COMSTECH-Consortium of Excellence (CCoE) Somalia Programme, offering 25 fully funded fellowships aimed at strengthening Somalia’s scientific, academic and technical capacity.
The launch ceremony, held at the OIC-COMSTECH Secretariat in Islamabad, brought together vice chancellors and rectors of leading public and private universities, ambassadors of Sudan, Tajikistan, Yemen and Rwanda, senior Somali embassy officials, representatives of partner institutions and COMSTECH officials, underscoring broad support for the initiative.
Addressing the ceremony, COMSTECH Coordinator General Prof. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary said human resource development remained one of the organisation’s highest priorities, stressing that sustainable development across the Muslim world depended on investment in education, scientific research, innovation and advanced technical skills.
He described the second phase of the COMSTECH-CCoE Somalia Programme as another milestone in COMSTECH’s efforts to empower Somali youth, researchers, scientists and professionals through quality education, specialised training and institutional collaboration.
Prof. Choudhary appreciated the cooperation of the Embassy of Somalia and member institutions of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence for supporting the initiative, expressing confidence that the programme would contribute significantly to Somalia’s socio-economic development and institutional capacity.
Somalia’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Sheikhnur Mohamed Hassan, thanked COMSTECH, the Government of Pakistan and partner institutions for their continued support in higher education, science, technology and capacity building.
He said the fellowship programme would provide Somali scientists, researchers and professionals with valuable opportunities to acquire advanced knowledge and practical skills, helping strengthen the country’s academic, scientific and development sectors.
The ambassador described the initiative as another reflection of the longstanding brotherly relations between Pakistan and Somalia and commended COMSTECH’s role in promoting scientific cooperation among OIC member states.
Under the programme, 25 fully funded fellowships have been announced for Somali nationals currently residing and working in Somalia. The fellowships are being offered by member institutions of the COMSTECH Consortium of Excellence in collaboration with the Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP).
The programme includes three- and six-month research fellowships in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and public health, alongside technical training in industrial settings and short courses in allied health sciences and nursing.
Participants will also receive specialised training in emerging fields, including Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Cyber Security, Remote Sensing, Biotechnology, Digital Skills, Precision Agriculture, Food Processing and Agricultural Research.
In addition to fellowships, the initiative 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 advanced research expertise and practical skills to support Somalia’s national development.
The programme will be jointly coordinated by COMSTECH and the Embassy of Somalia to ensure transparent application processing, candidate selection and placement.
Highlighting COMSTECH’s broader achievements, officials noted that according to the organisation’s 2025 Annual Report, it implemented scientific and educational programmes in 54 countries, trained nearly 5,000 scientists and researchers, awarded 759 scholarships and fellowships, organised 68 training programmes, provided 52 research grants, and implemented 174 scientific and development initiatives during the year.
Officials said the launch of the second phase of the Somalia Programme further reinforces COMSTECH’s commitment to advancing science diplomacy, higher education, innovation and human resource development across OIC member states through its expanding network of universities, research institutions and strategic partners.
