Digital skills development for employability in Somali higher education: policy priorities and training implementation gaps

Digital skills are increasingly important for graduate employability, entrepreneurship, public-sector modernization and participation in the digital economy. In Somalia, expanding mobile connectivity, digital financial services, e-government reforms and national digital inclusion priorities have created a strong policy rationale for strengthening digital skills in higher education. This review examines digital skills development for employability in Somali higher education by synthesizing national policy documents, international digital economy evidence, education-sector data and digital competence frameworks. The review draws on Somalia's National ICT Policy and Strategy 2019-2024, Education Sector Strategic Plan 2022-2026, Digital Inclusion Policy, eGovernment Strategy 2025-2029, UNESCO ICT-in-education work, World Bank employment and digital economy analysis, DataReportal indicators, DigComp 2.2 and the World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2025. The findings indicate that Somalia has clear digital transformation policy momentum, but employability-oriented digital skills training remains weakly structured, unevenly assessed and insufficiently connected to employers. Key gaps include low computer ownership, affordability barriers, limited lecturer digital pedagogy, fragmented curricula, weak employer linkages and inadequate monitoring. The article proposes competency-based, inclusive and employment-oriented digital skills development for Somali universities.