FBW appointed to deliver transformative vocational education centres in Somalia

Last Updated 7 months ago by Kenya Engineer

Leading East African architecture and engineering practice FBW Group has been appointed to design two Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools in Somalia.

FBW is working with international consultancy firm NIRAS, a specialist in sustainable development and engineering headquartered in Denmark, on the transformative project to create two TVET centres in Somalia.

Once open, the TVET+ schools will deliver a range of vocational education to the local population.

The project is part of a wider programme funded by the German Development bank KfW and being developed in partnership with the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Somalia.

A Norwegian-Somali consortium involving non-government organisations the YME Foundation and Gurmad for Sustainable Aid (GSA) is behind the plan to develop a network of TVET operations.

FBW has 30 years of experience designing and delivering complex, high-quality and internationally compliant construction projects across East Africa and beyond. The project is FBW’s first work in Somalia.

Antje Eckoldt, FBW Group director, said: “FBW is proud to be part of this important mission to empower Somali youth through transformative education and skills development.

“We are looking forward to working with NIRAS in building the future of vocational education for the local population and creating innovative learning spaces that will deliver the education and skills that will open doors to opportunity.”

She added: “Sustainability is an important part of our design remit and we’re looking at a range of measures such as grey water recycling for irrigation in order to increase tree cover and the use of locally sourced natural materials in order to reduce embodied carbon.”

The team delivering the TVET schools including the YME Foundation and GSA, who work to improve access to water and sanitary installations in Africa by providing solar powered drinking water solutions to local populations in countries such as Somalia.

FBW Group, which has offices in Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, has a strong record of delivery on high-profile infrastructure projects enabled and driven by international investment.

It collaborates on programmes of importance both economically and socially, using its on-the-ground knowledge.

FBW works with both private and institutional clients and over its 30 years has built longstanding relationships a trusted ‘Partner of Choice’ for groundbreaking projects.

Its recent high-profile projects have included delivering the newly opened Clinical Research Excellence And Training Open Resource (CREATOR) – a postgraduate medical specialist and research training centre in Malawi.

CREATOR is now providing the most sophisticated clinical research training environment in the region and will be truly transformational and life-changing for the African nation.

FBW is also part of the team tasked with delivering the groundbreaking Kigali Green City masterplan in the Rwandan capital.

And in Uganda it led an international team that delivered new eco-friendly headquarters in Kampala for two major United Nations agencies. The new office, handed over at the end of last year, houses the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and The World Food Programme (WFP).