In brief
- Horn Diplomat reported on 2017-10-31 that a foundation stone for a new conference hall at Hargeisa University was laid on 28 October 2017.
- The report said the hall would be built on donated Dahabshiil Group funds and that Al Baraka Construction Company's chairman said his firm had been awarded the tender.
- No source confirms whether construction started, how much has been spent, or whether the hall was completed.
On 2017-10-31, Horn Diplomat reported that a foundation stone-laying ceremony for a new conference hall at Hargeisa University had been held on Saturday, 28 October 2017. The report said the hall was to be constructed on funds donated by Dahabshiil Group of companies, and that SOMTEL chief operating officer Maulid Mohamed and Hargeisa University chancellor Dr. Mohamoud Yusuf Muse laid the stone jointly. Horn Diplomat also described the project as an 'ultra-modern' conference hall; the report does not give design, capacity or specification details.
The tender
According to the same report, Mr. Mahdi Aw Omer, chairman of Al Baraka Construction Company, thanked the Hargeisa University board and Dahabshiil for awarding his company the tender for construction of the new conference hall. Horn Diplomat's report does not state when the tender was awarded, whether a contract was signed, or when work was expected to begin. There is no tender notice, contract document or contract value in the report.
The figure
Maulid Mohamed was reported as saying Dahabshiil Group would provide the funds for the hall, 'which will cost nearly $100,000 US dollars'. That figure is an interested party's statement to Horn Diplomat. It is not presented as a contract value, an approved budget or an expenditure, and the report does not say any funds have been disbursed. Maulid Mohamed also said Dahabshiil has previously funded infrastructure, recreational facilities and long-term loans to the university for building new classrooms, without giving amounts or dates.
Claims about the university
Dr. Mohamoud Yusuf Muse, the university's chancellor, thanked Dahabshiil Group and said the university was inaugurated in 2000, a date not independently confirmed in the report. The chancellor also said Dahabshiil had, through financial donations, helped in the construction of nearly 18 classrooms and several halls, gazebos, outdoor seating and service kiosks, and that the group provides loans to staff and students and monetary services to more than 9000 students and staff using Dahabshiil accounts. These are the chancellor's statements as reported by Horn Diplomat, not audited or independently verified figures.
Horn Diplomat also reported that Dahabshiil Group funds many leading higher learning institutions in the country and sponsors underprivileged students as part of its corporate responsibility. It described Hassan M Jama, Dahabshiil MT&E PR, as a former high-ranking university officer who played an instrumental role in transforming the institution into a truly academic one in the early and mid-2000s, an editorial characterisation by the publication.
What the report does not establish
More than seven years after the ceremony, Horn Diplomat's report of 2017-10-31 remains the reference point for this project, and it answers none of the questions that matter for construction observers. It does not say whether construction ever started after 28 October 2017, whether Al Baraka Construction Company mobilised, or whether the conference hall was completed. It does not give a project timeline or completion date. It does not confirm any Dahabshiil Group funding was paid or spent, and it carries no statement from Dahabshiil Group itself; the funding statements come from the SOMTEL COO and the university chancellor. Horn Diplomat's 2017-10-31 report is the only account of the project here.
Frequently asked questions
When was the foundation stone laid for the Hargeisa University conference hall?
Horn Diplomat reported that the foundation stone-laying ceremony was held on Saturday, 28 October 2017, and reported it on 2017-10-31.
What is the cost of the project?
No cost is established. SOMTEL chief operating officer Maulid Mohamed was reported as saying the hall 'will cost nearly $100,000 US dollars', an interested party's figure, not a contract value, budget or expenditure.
When is the conference hall expected to be completed?
Horn Diplomat's report gives no completion date or timeline for the project.