MOGADISHU, Somalia

Over 80 medical students, including nine doctors, have graduated from a Turkish university on Friday in Somali capital Mogadishu

Senior Turkish officials, including Ambassador Mehmet Yilmaz, and a delegation from Turkey led by Cevdet Erdol, the president of the University of Health Sciences, along with Somali Health Minister Fowzia Abikar Nur attended the ceremony at the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Training and Research Hospital in Mogadishu.

Underlining that Turkey and Somalia had both invested in the graduates for them to serve their country, Erdol told the students in his speech at the graduation ceremony: "I'm here to share joy and happiness with you and tell you that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent you his warmest congratulations."

He said the University of Health Sciences had most recently produced a 104 graduated and that their graduation ceremony had been held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Students' reactions

Mohamed Ali Dershe expressed to Anadolu Agency his happiness at having graduated. "It's one of the happiest days of my life."

Mohamed Abdi Dahir, another graduate, said he is only 20 but will go to Turkey to become a full emergency doctor.

"Our Turkish teachers are amazing and good human beings, I can speak Turkish fluently and I've only been learning the Turkish language for 12 months," Dahir said