Mogadishu, Somalia – Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has presented an honorary award to the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources in recognition of its landmark achievement in providing free, clean and reliable electricity to 150 public health facilities across Somalia.
The award was received on behalf of the ministry by the Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Abdillahi Bidhan, who led the energy rollout initiative. The nationwide electrification drive, powered primarily through renewable energy solutions, has dramatically reduced operational costs for hospitals that once relied on costly diesel generators or inconsistent private supply.
Speaking during the ceremony, PM Barre praised the project as a “transformational step toward self-sufficiency and dignity in public service delivery,” noting that access to constant power is critical for lifesaving interventions such as surgery, vaccine storage, maternity care and emergency response.
“This is not just an achievement in infrastructure—it is an investment in human life. When a mother gives birth safely at night or when electricity keeps a child’s medicine cold, that is the real impact of clean energy,” he said.
The Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, under its broader national electrification strategy, partnered with private renewable energy providers and international donors to install solar-powered systems in hospitals across both urban centers and remote regions. Some facilities reportedly saved between $500 and $25,000 per month after making the switch to solar.
Bidhan, receiving the award on behalf of the ministry, vowed that the initiative was “only the beginning,” adding that plans were underway to extend similar energy access to schools, water infrastructure and local government offices.
The government has positioned clean energy as a cornerstone of Somalia’s development agenda, linking it to improved healthcare, climate resilience and economic recovery. With 150 health facilities now powered, officials say the next milestone is to make every government hospital in the country fully energy-independent.