About us

Built from the field, not a boardroom

Digitize Somalia grew out of years spent physically building the networks Somalia now runs on — and seeing, firsthand, who gets left out when a network gets built.

Our story

Why we started

Digitize Somalia was founded in January 2022 by a group of Somali technology and telecommunications professionals who had spent their careers building the country's networks — and who kept seeing the same pattern: coverage doesn't equal connection.

Some communities have signal but no skills. Some have skills but no affordable devices or data. Some have neither, because no operator has built there yet — and many people in those places have never used a smartphone and don't know what they're missing. We exist to close each of those gaps, not just the easiest one.

What guides us

Vision & mission

Vision. A Somalia where every person — regardless of location, gender, age, income, or ability — can access, understand, and safely benefit from digital technology.

Mission. To advocate for digital transformation and equal access in Somalia, through literacy, affordability, awareness, and direct engagement with the communities and operators who can close the gap.

Digital inclusion Equal access Affordability Internet safety Community-led
Founder
Abdifatah Mohamed Ali

Abdifatah Mohamed Ali

Founder, Digitize Somalia  ·  Telecommunications Engineer

Abdifatah has worked inside Somalia's internet and telecom buildout since 2014, when he joined Somtel as an ISP broadband engineer supervisor — at a time when Somalia had no fiber, no SIM-based mobile internet, no 3G or 4G, and VSAT internet was on its way out. He helped deliver Somalia's first point-to-point home internet over antenna links, and worked on the network side as operators launched SIM-based 3G service, following the first fiber cable landing in the country in 2013.

In 2017 he joined Amtel, a newly established telecom operator, and was one of eight engineers sent to Huawei's Global Training Center in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, to train on core network deployment. In 2018, that team completed the setup and configuration of Amtel's entire core network and nationwide access network in four months, across 14 BTS sites. He was appointed Head of Amtel's ISP division, building it from scratch and expanding it nationwide.

He returned to Somtel in 2022 as ISP Manager, and in 2023 took on ISP management for both Somtel and Bluecom — sister companies under the Dahabshiil Group delivering internet across Somalia. In August 2025 he was promoted to General Manager of Bluecom Somalia, leading its commercial, technical, finance, and operations strategy.

Since 2016, he has volunteered with the Somalia Network Operators Group (SomNOG), helping run its annual skills-training and conference for ICT and telecom students, and presenting at its yearly gathering on advancing Somalia's technology sector. In 2026 he was elected Vice Chair of SomNOG's Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Somalia Internet Governance Forum taskforce, working on internet-governance programs and activities.

Years spent visiting network sites across the country — through Somtel's, Amtel's, and Bluecom's branches nationwide — showed him exactly where the gaps are, and who falls into them. Digitize Somalia is his effort to close them.

Leadership

Somalia Tech Committee

Digitize Somalia is run by a committee of Somali technology, telecommunications, and community-development practitioners. Committee member profiles are being added as photos and titles are confirmed.

Photo pending

Name pending

Committee role pending

Short bio to be added.

Photo pending

Name pending

Committee role pending

Short bio to be added.

Photo pending

Name pending

Committee role pending

Short bio to be added.

How we work

From first contact to lasting impact

  1. Map the gap

    We identify which communities lack access, skills, affordability, or safe digital habits — and why — drawing on direct field experience across Somalia's regions.

  2. Visit & explain

    For unaware or unconnected communities, we visit in person to explain what digital access and skills could open up for them, and to understand their specific barriers.

  3. Deliver programs

    Literacy training, awareness campaigns, affordability support, and business-digitization help are delivered through community networks, schools, and local partners.

  4. Advocate for change

    We engage telecom and broadband operators directly to push for expanded coverage in untapped areas and lower, fairer pricing for low-income users.