By Abdullahi Lukman
As Somalia faces increasingly severe climate disasters, including its worst drought in four decades and catastrophic floods in 2024, the government is turning to technology to help the country adapt and build resilience.
A new government report, developed with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Copenhagen Climate Centre, outlines a series of cost-effective climate adaptation measures aimed at transforming Somalia’s water and agriculture sectors.
The goal: to equip the country with the tools to withstand extreme weather, reduce poverty, and ease tensions over scarce resources.
“Climate change is a major threat,” said Hafsa Omar Abdilahi, head of the climate change unit at Somalia’s environment ministry. “Technology will play a crucial role in enabling sustainable agriculture and improving water management.”
Somalia’s new *Technology Needs Assessment* recommends installing 261,000 rooftop rainwater collection tanks, digging 300 solar-powered boreholes, expanding drip irrigation systems across 1,500 square kilometers of farmland, and deploying 200 automated weather stations to improve flood early warning systems.
These measures could benefit over 1.5 million people and offer relief to rural households struggling with erratic rainfall and water shortages.
The plan is part of Somalia’s broader climate strategy and is being integrated into its updated climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, expected later this year.
Officials hope these efforts will also reduce the risk of conflict by easing competition over limited natural resources.
Somalia is considered one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. Years of drought, followed by deadly floods, have displaced 2.6 million people and worsened hunger in a country already destabilized by civil conflict.
Over half of the population lives on less than $2 a day, making affordable, scalable interventions a priority.
UNEP’s Interim Director Anne Olhoff stressed that while technology is not a silver bullet, it can be transformative if implemented with the right support. “Adaptation-related technologies can protect lives and build more peaceful, prosperous countries,” she said.
The UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre has supported over 100 countries with similar assessments, helping developing nations access and deploy technology solutions to confront rising global temperatures—projected to reach 2.6 to 3.1°C by the end of the century.
With funding now being mobilized from donors and development partners, Abdilahi remains hopeful that borehole drilling and early warning systems will begin soon. More importantly, she says, growing public awareness of climate risks is a sign of progress.
“Year by year, the Somali people are understanding more about the effects of climate change,” she said. “If people understand the problem, they can find a solution.”