NEW YORK — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the Somali National News Agency reported.
The meeting focused on strengthening relations and cooperation between the two countries in areas important to development and the interests of both peoples, as well as regional issues and security developments in the Middle East.
President Mohamud emphasized the importance of the historic ties between Somalia and Kuwait and called for expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in security, diplomacy and development.
A Relationship Built Over Decades
The meeting in New York is the latest in a series of high-level engagements between Somalia and Kuwait. In August 2025, Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Yahya signed a series of agreements, including the creation of a Joint Cooperation Committee to oversee mutual engagements across political, economic, and cultural fields, as reported in FTL Somalia’s coverage of the agreements.
The accords also included a memorandum on bilateral consultations and a partnership between the Kuwaiti Saud Al-Nasser Al-Sabah Diplomatic Institute and Somalia’s Diplomatic Studies Institute for training and knowledge exchange.
In September 2025, President Mohamud met with the Kuwaiti Crown Prince on the sidelines of the Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha, where the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to deepening relations, as noted in FTL Somalia’s reporting on the Doha talks.
Investment in Somali Infrastructure
The bilateral relationship has also seen significant investment commitments. In February 2025, the South West State administration signed a US$500 million agreement with Kuwaiti conglomerate Arabic Holding to expand and operate the Barawa Port, as reported in FTL Somalia’s coverage of the port deal.
The 25-year concession grants the company control over the Lower Shabelle region’s port development, operations, and natural resource extraction. The project includes plans for road network expansions, industrial zones, and tourism development [citation:3][citation:18].
Critical Note
The meeting between President Mohamud and the Kuwaiti Crown Prince is a continuation of Somalia’s sustained diplomatic outreach to Gulf states, a strategy that has produced both symbolic and material results. Kuwait has been a reliable partner, providing humanitarian assistance and supporting Somalia’s debt relief process, while Kuwaiti private investment has committed significant resources to port infrastructure.
However, the practical impact of these engagements remains uneven. The Barawa Port deal, while substantial in value, has yet to move to implementation, and questions remain about oversight, revenue-sharing, and the role of the Federal Government in agreements signed by Federal Member States. The Joint Cooperation Committee established in August 2025 has not yet produced publicly visible outcomes.
For Somalia, the value of its relationship with Kuwait lies in its potential to attract investment and development financing at a time when traditional donors are retrenching. Whether that potential is realised depends on whether the two countries can move from agreements to implementation, and whether Somalia can create the enabling environment that Kuwaiti investors require.
