Once a Man’s World, Now a Shared Space: Women Transform Mogadishu’s Fish Market.

Every morning, as the sun rises over Mogadishu’s coastline, the Hamar Weyne Fish Market comes alive. The voices of fishermen, customers, and traders fill the air as fresh fish brought from the sea is unloaded and prepared for sale. For many years, the market has been largely dominated by men, but today, more women are becoming a visible part of the business, selling fish and building livelihoods to support themselves and their families.

Among them are members of the Kaahiye Women’s Fisheries Cooperative, a group of more than 150 women who have joined together to enter a sector that has traditionally been viewed as a man’s domain.

Through cooperation, training, and shared efforts, the women have gained skills, employment opportunities, and a more secure source of income, allowing them to play a greater role in supporting their families.

Fatumo Abdi Nur, the chairperson of the Kaahiye Women’s Fisheries Cooperative, said the idea behind forming the group came from the challenges women faced in accessing opportunities in the fish trade.