In brief
- On 26 April 2017, Horn Diplomat reported that a campaign to build a national library in Hargeisa had been fundraising for seven years, with diaspora money sent since 2010.
- The report said the first storey was largely complete and the scheme was moving to a second phase estimated at another $175,000.
- The report does not establish what has happened since, including whether the building was completed or the second phase funded.
On 26 April 2017, Horn Diplomat reported that a fundraising campaign had been underway for seven years to build a new national library in Hargeisa, with the Somali diaspora sending money for construction since 2010. The report described the first storey of the Somaliland National Library as largely complete and said the next step was to fill it with books.
It said the site occupies 6,000m2 in the middle of Hargeisa, two minutes from the city's main hospital and 10 from the presidential palace, as described in Rageeh Omar's fundraising video produced by the project's promoters. According to the same report, Rageeh Omar, a British journalist born in Mogadishu to a Hargeisa family, appeared in a video promoting the project and said it would be "one of the most important institutions and reference points for all Somalilanders." Standing on the half-completed building's roof, he pointed out neighbours including the city's main high street with the country's largest shopping mall and the Ministry of Telecoms next door.
Funding and phase two
Ahmed Elmi, campaign founder and director, said the Somaliland government had invested $192,000 in the library, and that a further $97,000 came from individual and business donors in Hargeisa and the diaspora. Elmi said they had higher ambitions but had to humble their approach because the country had suffered a large drought for the last three years.
The report said the scheme was moving to a second phase covering books, computers and printers plus landscaping the gardens. According to the campaign founder's account, that phase would cost another $175,000. Elmi said they were open to donations of books, furniture, technology, or technical expertise to set up the librarian system instead of a cash donation.
Stated function and plans
The library's function is described in the government's Strategic Plan 2013-2023, which according to the report makes clear it is also meant to be a real educational facility. The Strategic Plan notes NGOs focused resources on primary schools first, secondary schools second and other educational facilities not at all, and states the new building will provide the normal functions of a public library plus additional services aimed at solving the unique education problems of a post conflict society.
The Strategic Plan also set out planned features: a network of library trucks providing book services to regions outside Hargeisa, a book dispersal and exchange system to provide books for schools and other educational facilities, and a Camel Library Caravan to access nomadic pastoralists in remote areas. Project promoters hoped the library would raise literacy levels in English, Arabic and Somali and boost the economy, per Horn Diplomat.
The Czech government, the report said, had not offered financial support but had offered to spend four weeks training two librarians. A commenter on diaspora internet forums said he had donated all his old science and maths schoolbooks last year.
Frequently asked questions
What is the proposed size and cost of the Somaliland National Library?
Horn Diplomat reported on 2017-04-26 that the site occupies 6,000m2 in the middle of Hargeisa, as described in Rageeh Omar's fundraising video produced by the project's promoters. The report does not give a total project cost. It records that campaign founder and director Ahmed Elmi said the government had invested $192,000 and that a further $97,000 came from donors, and that the second phase would cost another $175,000.
Has the library been completed since the 2017 report?
The evidence does not establish that. Horn Diplomat reported on 2017-04-26 that the first storey was largely complete. The report does not say what has happened to the project since that date.