The Effect of Overlapped Roles of Ownership, Leadership and Management in Post-Civil War Somali Universities

This paper investigates the overlapping roles of ownership, leadership, and management within Somali universities in the post–civil war period, revealing how authority is frequently blurred or nominal. While a few institutions maintain clearly defined governance structures, most boards and university bodies exist only in name, leading to confusion—particularly evident at the Somali National University, where the president acts as both rector and patron, while the council and senate contend for authority. The authors argue that this muddled governance undermines educational quality and graduate employability, and they call for a corporate-style governance model with well-delegated responsibilities and effective external and internal quality assurance mechanisms.