African bar associations have been building new training programs for their members, and looking at what other countries are doing can help Somali lawyers think about what kinds of continuing education might be useful here. The Nigerian Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Forum took an interesting approach: they surveyed nearly 6,000 lawyers to find out what training they actually need, rather than guessing. Based on the results, they built a five-year plan with more than 20 programs covering digital law, climate justice, arbitration, and other emerging areas. The key lesson is simple: ask lawyers what they need before building programs for them.

Technology training has become a recurring theme at regional legal conferences. At the African Bar Association conference in Accra, multiple speakers argued that lawyers must now understand artificial intelligence and financial technology to serve their clients competently. This is not about chasing trends; it reflects where the work is going. The global legal services market may reach €1.33 trillion by 2034, and much of the growth will involve technology-related transactions and disputes. Lawyers who understand these areas will have more opportunities than those who do not, regardless of what country they practice in.

Regional Partnerships

One development worth watching is the growing cooperation between regional legal institutions. The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has partnered with the East African Law Society on training initiatives, recognizing that smaller legal communities can build capacity faster by working together than by trying to do everything alone. Somalia can benefit from these kinds of regional connections. We do not have to build every training program from scratch when neighboring countries have already developed materials and expertise we can learn from or adapt.

The International Bar Association has also launched an ESG training program focused on Africa. ESG stands for environmental, social, and governance issues. This is a framework that international investors and development organizations increasingly use to evaluate projects and partnerships. Somalia faces drought, climate problems, and natural resource questions that will generate legal work in the years ahead. Lawyers who understand environmental law and the ESG framework will be positioned to handle that work, whether advising the government, international organizations, or private investors.

Applying This to Somalia

The common thread across these initiatives is that training programs work better when they are based on actual needs rather than assumptions about what lawyers should know. Technology, environmental law, and arbitration keep appearing because those are the areas where demand is growing and where many practicing lawyers feel underprepared. Regional partnerships can help smaller legal communities access resources they could not develop on their own. And continuing education is becoming normal across Africa. It is no longer something only a few dedicated professionals pursue, but an expectation of competent practice. As other African countries invest in legal training, Somalia should pay attention to what works and adapt the best approaches to our own situation.