Elmi Mohamud Nor Ali: ‘The relationship between Spain and Somalia is growing’

Madrid hosted the Africa Spain Summit 2025 with the aim of strengthening existing cooperation between Africa and Spain at all levels. 

Various personalities contributed their knowledge and experience, adding value to the important summit organised by One Africa Forums. Among the participants was Elmi Mohamud Nor Ali, Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing of the Republic of Somalia, and Atalayar had the opportunity to talk to him about the development of Africa and the links between the African continent and Somalia with Spain.

Minister, what is the importance of Somalia's participation in the Africa Spain Summit? 

It is a great honour and pleasure to participate in this forum, the Africa Spain Summit. For me, it is the first time I have visited this blessed and beautiful country that is Spain. 

Attending a conference like this, which brings together Africa and Spain, is very important because Spain is the closest country to Africa. It has proximity, relations and also a long historical relationship with several African countries. 

Therefore, in a globalised world, sharing knowledge, information and development is fundamental and very important. That is why it is so significant. The more we interact and cooperate, the more we can say that Africa is developing and that we can share the resources that Africa has, as well as the knowledge and capacity of other European countries.

What is the current state of relations between Somalia and Spain, especially in terms of economic cooperation? 

At the moment, it is not significant, because Somalia has suffered a long civil war over the last 30 years. Therefore, there has not been much investment or cooperation in that area. But now, for the last 10 years, Somalia has been recovering and is open to all countries. 

And now, the relationship between Spain and Somalia is growing. Several conferences have been held here in Spain with the participation of the Somali delegation. Last week, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance held a conference with other UN and Spanish governments. 

Therefore, our visits and conferences here are very frequent.

Urban development is one of your key portfolios. How is Somalia being advised in this area and where does Spain fit in? 

Of course, Somalia, as I mentioned, is recovering from that long conflict. 

It is now ready to receive this type of investment. As you know, Somalia has just achieved debt relief. Therefore, Somalia is ready to receive investment. 

Secondly, security is improving greatly. And Somalia has greater resources, such as the blue economy, agriculture, natural resources, industries, real estate and infrastructure. As you can see, I am in charge of infrastructure. 

Somalia needs a lot of investment in this area. Not only the public sector can do this, but also the private sector. That is why we are developing a public-private partnership system, in which the private sector can invest in these areas. 

And in October, we are going to hold an infrastructure conference, which will be attended by public companies, private companies, financial institutions and all international partners. Several governments are interested in it. We hope that Spain will participate. 

What specific opportunities exist for Spanish investors in Somalia? 

The most important area, specifically, is the blue economy. Somalia has a long coastline in Africa, stretching 3,300 kilometres. It extends from the Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. 

Therefore, it is rich and has marine resources. So Spain can invest there, and part of that investment is already there. Similarly, Somalia has top-quality livestock, which we export to the Gulf countries. 

We can also export meat to Europe and develop a public-private partnership, in which Spanish companies can invest in that area, or we can join a value-added programme through a public-private partnership system, or even private sector investment. 

How do you see the collaboration between Somalia and Spain evolving in the future? 

Somalia, by nature, has relations with all countries. Many Somalis live in the diaspora. 

Over the last 30 years, they have settled in different countries and are very active. Therefore, Spain and European countries have a large Somali diaspora in Europe. They can participate in this and use that skill to invest and use investment in natural resources in Somalia.

Finally, what is your message for the Africa Spain Summit and for the Spanish public and community? 

My message is that Somalia and Spain can have strong relations and cooperation in the field of education, in the field of information exchange, in the field of knowledge transfer. Somalia has a large number of young and educated people. Therefore, investing in this can also serve as a skill, and Spanish universities can also open up to exchange and improve the education of young people.  

Secondly, in infrastructure, which is the most important area that I manage. There is a great demand for real estate, infrastructure and transport corridors, and that is what we see, what interests most of our European partners and other countries: building corridors that allow access to the continent and to other countries. Somalia is part of the East African Community. As a member of this community, it can be said that it extends to the Gulf of Aden. 

So it extends from the Gulf of Aden to the Atlantic Ocean, in the Congo. It is a huge area, as you can see, which can benefit Somalis and other communities in the East African Community. Therefore, there are enormous resources in this area, which connects with Arab and European countries, with Spain and also, as you can see, with the Atlantic. 

It is therefore a very rich resource from which Somalia can benefit. The area in greatest demand is infrastructure, which requires enormous capital, and we are going to privatise most of it. Here, as you can see, Spanish companies can come in and invest in ports, airports, roads, real estate, corridors... Everything is open to investment.