Key Objectives

In 2002, BBC World Service Training completed a 21-month journalism training programme in Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland. The project was the first of its kind in the region and followed two successful pilot courses run by BBC World Service Training and funded by the European Union in 1998.

The project received widespread praise from both beneficiaries and donors. Many believe that it broke new ground in the development of an honest and accurate media voice for all parts of Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland. 

The project built on the foundations laid during the first period and to reinforce good journalistic practice. But the second phase did not just offer “more of the same”. In this second phase, the project took on a more integrated approach. While the first phase focused entirely on journalism skills, the second phase offers, in addition, training in management and teaching skills. The training programme is also developing local capacity further.

It established links between local journalists and international journalism organisations and continues to strengthen potential local counterparts such as emerging Somali journalist associations. To do this the project helped establish a Somali magazine, The Voice Of The Journalist, which wasdistributed by the local journalism associations. The project also worked with local producers to make awareness programmes for radio. 


The new project also continued to work in two areas already addressed during the first phase of the project:

1) media monitoring, in the form of content analysis of the Somali media and

2) the development of a web-site with distance learning material that helped Somali journalists to produce better quality journalism.