Future Council meeting events are always a big deal in Mogadishu because they bring together some of the smartest young leaders and thinkers to talk about where the country is headed in the next ten years. Just this week President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud opened the doors of the presidential palace to welcome these members for a very long and serious talk about peace and jobs. During this Future Council session the President sat down with the group to listen to their ideas on how to stop the fighting and how to make the economy stronger for the thousands of students graduating every year. It is not every day that young people get to sit in the same room as the leader of the nation but this Future Council session shows that the government is finally starting to realize that the youth are the ones who will have to live with the decisions made today. The President looked very focused as he took notes and promised that the suggestions from the Future Council session would not just be put on a shelf but would actually be turned into real laws and plans for the people.
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When you look at the faces in the room you could see a lot of hope because for a long time the youth felt like their voices did not matter in the big halls of power. This Future Council session is part of a new strategy to make the government more transparent and to give the new generation a seat at the table where the big choices are made. They talked about things like digital technology and how the internet can help farmers in rural areas sell their crops for a better price in the big city markets. The President told the group that the Future Council session is a bridge between the old ways of doing things and the modern world that the youth understand so well. By holding this Future Council session at the Villa Somalia the leadership is sending a message to the whole world that the country is stable enough to plan for the long term instead of just worrying about the problems of tomorrow morning.
The main goals of the Future Council meeting for the youth
One of the biggest things that came out of the discussion was the plan to create more vocational training centers so that people can learn trades like plumbing and electrical work. This was a key part of the Future Council session because everyone knows that a degree from a university is great but you also need people who can build the roads and fix the power lines. The President agreed that the Future Council meeting was right to focus on these practical skills because they are the foundation of any growing country that wants to be independent. They also touched on the issue of climate change and how the frequent droughts are hurting the nomadic families who have lived on the land for centuries. It was a very broad Future Council meeting that tried to cover everything from security in the streets to the price of bread in the local shops which shows how much work there is left to do.
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Why the Future Council meeting is different from other talks
Unlike the usual political meetings where everyone is just arguing about who gets which job the Future Council meeting was much more about solving real problems with new ideas. The members are not politicians but they are doctors and engineers and teachers who see the reality of life every day in their communities. This made the Future Council meeting feel much more honest and grounded in the truth of what people are actually going through right now in 2026. The President even joked that he wished every meeting was as productive as this Future Council meeting because the energy in the room was so positive and full of energy. After the session was over the members took a group photo with the President and they all looked like they felt like they had finally been heard by the man at the top.
Looking ahead the government wants to make sure that these talks happen every few months so that the momentum from the first Future Council meeting does not get lost in the daily noise of politics. They are planning to set up a special office that will follow up on every single point that was raised during the afternoon at the palace. This shows that the Future Council meeting is a serious commitment to change and not just a photo opportunity for the evening news. If this continues it could be a major turning point for the relationship between the government and the younger generation who are so eager to help rebuild their beautiful home.
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The visit to the palace was a very historic moment for everyone involved and it gives us all a reason to be optimistic about the path forward. The Future Council meeting proved that when people sit down and talk with respect they can find common ground and start building something great together. We should all keep an eye on what happens next and support these young leaders as they try to make their vision for the country a reality for everyone.
