A new partnership between LG, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, UNDP Somalia, and the Elman Peace Centre is set to expand technical training and employment opportunities for young people in Somalia.
The programme aims to give Somali youth practical, market-relevant skills while supporting peacebuilding, community resilience, and long-term economic development in areas affected by conflict and instability.
At the centre of the initiative is the planned establishment of a new technical training and service facility at the Elman Peace Centre in Mogadishu. The facility will be aligned with international standards and will focus on training young Somalis in areas linked to real job opportunities, including electrical equipment servicing, ICT hardware and networking, entrepreneurship, and life skills.
The project builds on the experience of the LG-KOICA Hope TVET College in Addis Ababa, a vocational training centre in Ethiopia that has operated for more than a decade and has become a model for technical education and industry-linked training. Under the new Somalia-focused programme, trainers from the Elman Peace Centre will first receive benchmarking, Training of Trainers, and certification through the LG-KOICA Hope TVET College before delivering courses in Mogadishu.
For Somalia, where a large share of the population is young and many people face limited access to formal employment, the initiative is being presented as more than a training project. It is also intended to create pathways into work, support entrepreneurship, and reduce the exclusion that can contribute to fragility and instability.
Graduates of the programme are expected to be linked with employers through job fairs, apprenticeships, enterprise support, and connections to LG’s distribution and service networks in Somalia. This could help bridge the gap between classroom training and the needs of the local labour market.
UNDP Somalia said the partnership brings together skills development, private sector engagement, and peacebuilding in one model. Lionel Laurens, UNDP Resident Representative for Somalia, described Somali youth as the country’s greatest asset, highlighting their talent, resilience, and creativity. He said equipping young women and men with technical skills is not only about creating jobs, but also about strengthening young people’s agency and supporting lasting peace and inclusive development.
LG said the programme would bring lessons from its long-running vocational training model in Ethiopia to Somalia. Seunghwan Yang, LG Ethiopia Branch Leader, said the company was committed to supporting vulnerable youth in Africa to become skilled professionals who can contribute to national development.
The Elman Peace Centre will lead delivery on the ground in Mogadishu, helping train young people and connect graduates directly with employers. Ilwad Elman, Chief Operating Officer of Elman Peace Centre, said Somalia has always been a nation of builders, entrepreneurs, and innovators, but that many young people remain disconnected from opportunities in the modern economy. She said the partnership would help build the local systems, standards, and expertise needed for Somali youth to take part in future jobs and service industries.
KOICA also framed the initiative as a cross-border collaboration that brings together a UN agency, a private company, and a Somali civil society organisation. KOICA Country Director Wankyu Park said the partnership could create meaningful opportunities for Somali youth while strengthening positive engagement with Korean institutions.
The launch comes at a time when Somalia is working to strengthen stability, expand economic opportunities, and invest in young people as a foundation for long-term development. By combining vocational training, private sector links, and local peacebuilding experience, the partnership could become a practical model for how international organisations and Somali institutions can support jobs, resilience, and economic inclusion.