Overview
Somalia
Somalia occupies the Horn of Africa and has the longest coastline on the African mainland, along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It borders Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya, covers about 637,700 km², and has about 19.7 million people. Mogadishu is the capital and largest city. Most of the country is arid or semi-arid lowland and plateau, with mountains in the north, while the Jubba and Shabelle rivers in the south support most of its farming. Somalia became independent in 1960 through the union of the former British and Italian Somaliland territories. The central government collapsed in 1991, and decades of conflict followed. The federal government is rebuilding state institutions, while al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgent group, still controls much of the countryside. Somaliland, in the northwest, declared independence in 1991; in December 2025, Israel became the first UN member state to recognize it. Recurrent droughts and floods affect much of the population. Somali and Arabic are the official languages, and nearly the entire population is Sunni Muslim.
Somalia is a low-income country with a narrow export base led by livestock. Remittances from the Somali diaspora and foreign aid are major sources of income. Somalia received debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative in 2023 and joined the East African Community in 2024. Agriculture employs about 30% of the workforce. In 2025, Somalia’s GDP per capita was approximately US$661, and real GDP grew by 3.0%.
Source: World Bank. (2026). World Development Indicators, from https://data.worldbank.org/country/somalia
Institutions
Institutions with at least one Faculty Member Registered with Ivey Publishing
- Abaarso Tech
- Amoud University
- Bardera Polytechnic College
- Beder International University
- Benadir University
- East Africa University
- Eelo American University
- Indian Ocean University
- Kismayo University
- Mogadishu University
- Puntland State University
- Sanaag University of Science and Technology
- Somali Institute of Management and Administration Development
- Somaliland University of Technology
- University of Burao
- University of Gedo
- University of Hargeisa
- University of Somalia
- University of Southern Somalia
Source: Ivey Publishing. 39C Accounts by Country. Provided by Adrianna Gleam-Fossaceca, Ivey Publishing, August 11, 2026.
Cases
Ivey-Copyrighted Cases in or involving Somalia
Ivey Publishing and the 39 Country Initiative welcome additional case submissions that deepen understanding of Somalia’s businesses, institutions, industries, and broader economic and social context.
| Case | Authors | Published / Revised | Product Number | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ransom on the High Seas: The Case of Piracy in Somalia | Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra, Michael Train, Jeanne McNett | Nov 23, 2011; revised Nov 26, 2012 | 9B11M104_P | 9 |
| Where Have You Been? An Exercise to Assess Your Exposure to the Rest of the World’s Peoples | Paul W. Beamish | Nov 27, 2025 | W48085 | 11 |
Source: Ivey Publishing. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/
Workshops
Workshops Provided to Institutions in Somalia
No case-teaching workshops have been held in Somalia to date. Opportunities remain to extend the 39 Country Initiative’s outreach to institutions in Somalia through its online case-teaching activities.