International bodies in Somalia
Intergovernmental Academy of Somali Language (AGA)
The Intergovernmental Academy of Somali Language, known as AGA, was launched in Djibouti on 26 June 2013 by Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland to develop and standardise the Somali language. Its headquarters in Mogadishu was opened in December 2022 by the presidents of Somalia and Djibouti. Ma'allin Said Salah is its chairman.
What it does
The academy works to develop, standardise and promote the Somali language across the countries where it is spoken (Wikipedia). Its 2026 conference focused on standardising the language, linguistic research, cultural heritage and cooperation between member states (SONNA).
How it was set up
On 26 June 2013 the governments of Djibouti, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somaliland launched the academy at a ceremony in Djibouti City, organised by Djibouti's Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Culture and Waqf with the Somali-Speaking PEN Centre of Djibouti (Wikipedia). In January 2015 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced a new headquarters in Mogadishu, and its foundation stone was laid in February 2015 (Wikipedia).
In December 2022 Presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia and Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti opened the academy's building in Mogadishu. Hassan Sheikh thanked Djibouti for its role in the project, and said the Somali language "is the common thread that binds the Somali people together" (Hiiraan Online, December 2022).
Who leads it
Ma'allin Said Salah is chairman and Ismail Abdi Ahmed is deputy chairman (SONNA; Goobjoog News).
The money
The figures are from the federal Appropriation Act for 2027 as submitted to parliament, where the body is sub-head 040203 under the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (Ministry of Finance, Appropriation Act 2027):
| Year | US$ |
|---|---|
| 2025 (actual) | 250,078 |
| 2026 (budget) | 342,256 |
| 2027 (proposed) | 372,256 |
This is Somalia's federal contribution. Other member governments' contributions are not in this budget.
All federal bodies' budgets are compared on federal bodies and their budgets.
What it reports doing
Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama closed a four-day AGA conference in Mogadishu, attended by Education Minister Farah Abdulkadir, a deputy minister from Ethiopia's Somali Region and a Kenyan envoy. The conference issued a communiqué setting out a three-year strategic plan for the language (SONNA; Goobjoog News).
Related pages
Somalia's own Somali Academy of Arts and Sciences has a separate budget line. Somali-language terms in technology are also produced by the National Communications Authority, which launched a Somali cybersecurity glossary (National Communications Authority).
Sources
- Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- SONNA · sonna.so
- Hiiraan Online, December 2022 · hiiraan.com
- Goobjoog News · en.goobjoog.com
- Ministry of Finance, Appropriation Act 2027 · mof.gov.so
- National Communications Authority · nca.gov.so
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Where this matters
Same era
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