Africa spends billions of dollars every year seeking medical treatment beyond its borders. Patients travel to India, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Europe for specialised surgeries, cancer treatment, cardiac procedures, orthopaedic care and advanced diagnostics. This movement of patients represents not only a healthcare challenge but also a significant economic opportunity for African nations willing to invest in world-class medical infrastructure.
I believe Somaliland has the potential to emerge as one of Africa’s most important medical tourism destinations and, over time, aspire to become the medical tourism capital of the continent.
This ambition is not unrealistic. It requires vision, planning, investment, international partnerships and, above all, the political determination to develop healthcare as a strategic economic sector.
A July 2026 analysis published in the British Medical Journal estimated that Africa loses approximately US$6 billion to US$10 billion annually through outbound medical tourism. This represents enormous expenditure that could otherwise contribute to healthcare infrastructure, medical employment, research and economic growth within Africa.
The World Health Organization’s 2026 assessment of Africa’s healthcare workforce also projects a shortage of approximately 5.85 million health workers by 2030. These figures demonstrate the enormous gap between healthcare demand and available medical resources across the continent.
Where there is a structural gap of this magnitude, there is also an opportunity for countries capable of developing reliable and affordable healthcare services.
Somaliland could be one of those countries.
Geography is among Somaliland’s greatest strategic advantages. Situated in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland enjoys proximity to Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and the wider Red Sea region. Ethiopia alone has a population exceeding 130 million, according to recent international population estimates. Combined with the healthcare requirements of neighbouring countries, Somaliland has access to a potentially substantial regional patient market.
The question is not whether Africa needs more advanced medical facilities. It unquestionably does. The question is whether Somaliland can position itself to meet a portion of that demand.
Consider the example of India.
India has established itself as a major international medical tourism destination through a combination of specialist medical expertise, modern hospitals, competitive treatment costs and strong pharmaceutical and healthcare education sectors.
According to India’s Ministry of Tourism, the country recorded 644,387 foreign tourist arrivals for medical purposes in 2024. Even in 2025, when the figure declined to 507,244, medical travel remained an important segment of India’s international tourism economy.
Among these arrivals were patients from African countries, including Somalia. India’s 2025 tourism data recorded 11,506 medical-purpose arrivals from Somalia, although this figure does not separately identify patients from Somaliland.
The significance of this data is straightforward. People from the wider Horn of Africa are already travelling considerable distances for medical treatment. If comparable healthcare services could be provided closer to home, at competitive prices and with internationally credible standards, a regional alternative could emerge.
Somaliland should study India’s medical tourism model, not with the intention of replicating its enormous healthcare industry, but to understand how medical expertise, affordable treatment, hospital infrastructure and international confidence can be developed into a sustainable economic sector.
Somaliland is not beginning entirely from scratch.
In November 2025, the World Bank reported that the Damal Caafimaad healthcare programme, launched in Somaliland in early 2024, was supporting 49 operational health facilities. During 2024, outpatient visits exceeded 425,000, representing a 27 per cent increase over the previous year. More than 16,000 pregnant women completed at least four antenatal visits.
These figures demonstrate progress in healthcare delivery while also highlighting the importance of strengthening the existing system.
International partnerships provide another foundation. King’s College London reported in January 2025 that its healthcare partnerships in Somaliland had supported improvements in patient safety and infection prevention across six major public hospitals serving more than 45,000 patients annually. The initiative also contributed to medical education and specialist workforce development.
These developments are encouraging, but they should be viewed as the beginning of a much larger transformation.
I believe Somaliland should seriously consider establishing a dedicated Somaliland Medical City in Hargeisa.
This should be conceived not merely as a large hospital but as an integrated healthcare ecosystem comprising multispeciality hospitals, diagnostic centres, medical universities, nursing institutions, rehabilitation facilities, research centres and accommodation for international patients and their families.
The initial focus could include cardiology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, nephrology, dental care, maternal healthcare and advanced diagnostics. Oncology and more complex surgical services could be developed progressively as clinical capacity, infrastructure and specialist expertise expand.
The objective should be to establish centres of medical excellence that meet internationally recognised standards of patient safety, clinical governance and treatment quality.
India could play a particularly important role in this transformation.
Leading Indian healthcare institutions, including Apollo Hospitals, Fortis Healthcare and Narayana Health, could be invited to explore investment and operational partnerships in Somaliland. Indian medical universities, pharmaceutical companies, diagnostic providers and healthcare technology businesses could also become important partners.
Such cooperation could encompass hospital development, specialist training, telemedicine, medical equipment, pharmaceutical supply chains and clinical management systems.
Somaliland could offer appropriate investment incentives, land for healthcare infrastructure, transparent regulatory mechanisms and opportunities to serve an expanding regional patient market.
These partnerships must be commercially viable. Somaliland should not approach healthcare development as a charitable exercise but as a strategic investment opportunity capable of generating financial returns alongside measurable social benefits.
The opportunity should also be extended to investors and healthcare institutions from Türkiye, the UAE, Europe and other African nations.
An internationally competitive healthcare sector requires diversified expertise and investment.
Berbera could complement Hargeisa’s development as a medical centre.
With its coastal location and strategic position along the Gulf of Aden, Berbera could eventually develop specialised rehabilitation, physiotherapy, preventive healthcare and wellness facilities. Carefully planned healthcare resorts and recovery centres could attract patients seeking appropriate post-treatment rehabilitation under professional medical supervision.
This would allow Somaliland to develop two complementary healthcare destinations: Hargeisa as the centre of specialised treatment and medical education, and Berbera as a location for selected rehabilitation and wellness services.
The economic potential deserves attention.
Consider a hypothetical scenario in which Somaliland develops sufficient medical infrastructure to attract 25,000 international patients annually. If each patient spends an average of US$3,000 on treatment, accommodation, transportation and associated services, the resulting gross expenditure would amount to US$75 million annually.
At 50,000 patients, that figure could reach US$150 million. At 100,000 patients, it could rise to US$300 million annually.
These figures are illustrative scenarios, not forecasts or estimates of existing medical tourism revenue. Achieving them would require substantial investment, international confidence, reliable connectivity and years of institutional development.
Nevertheless, they demonstrate the potential scale of the opportunity.
Healthcare tourism creates economic activity far beyond hospitals. It generates demand for hotels, restaurants, transport companies, medical equipment suppliers, pharmaceutical distributors, insurance providers, technology businesses and professional services.
It also creates skilled employment for doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators, researchers and healthcare management professionals.
A successful medical tourism industry could help Somaliland retain medical talent, encourage the return of healthcare professionals from its diaspora and establish internationally respected medical education institutions.
There is also an important geopolitical dimension.
Somaliland has spent decades pursuing international recognition of its sovereignty. Its arguments have centred on history, law, democratic governance, institutional stability and its distinct political identity.
Healthcare could provide Somaliland with another avenue for international engagement.
A country that treats patients from neighbouring nations, trains international medical professionals and establishes respected healthcare institutions builds relationships that extend beyond traditional diplomacy.
Medical partnerships create institutional trust. Universities establish international academic relationships. Hospitals create professional networks. Patients and their families develop personal connections with the countries in which they receive treatment.
Healthcare diplomacy cannot replace formal diplomatic recognition, but it can strengthen international cooperation, economic relationships and Somaliland’s standing as a capable regional partner.
There is, however, one essential condition.
Somaliland must ensure that its ambition to attract international patients does not come at the expense of its own citizens.
A medical tourism industry that serves wealthy foreign patients while ordinary Somalilanders struggle to access essential healthcare would represent a failure of national development.
The strategy must therefore strengthen public healthcare alongside private medical investment.
Medical tourism facilities should contribute to local medical training, public hospital capacity, affordable treatment programmes and specialist healthcare access for Somaliland’s population.
A portion of the economic benefits could also be directed towards a national healthcare development fund, governed transparently and independently audited.
The ultimate measure of success must not be limited to foreign patient arrivals or hospital revenues. It must include better healthcare outcomes for Somaliland’s own people.
I would propose a ten-year national healthcare transformation strategy beginning with a comprehensive feasibility assessment, followed by regulatory reform, medical infrastructure investment, international partnerships and specialist workforce development.
The first two years should focus on identifying healthcare demand, evaluating existing facilities, establishing internationally credible regulatory standards and securing investment commitments.
The following three years could concentrate on developing specialist hospitals, medical education institutions and international healthcare partnerships.
Subsequent years should focus on regional patient referrals, medical travel services, insurance partnerships, rehabilitation facilities and the expansion of successful clinical specialities.
By the end of a decade, Somaliland could aspire to become a credible regional healthcare destination, with the longer-term ambition of competing among Africa’s leading medical tourism centres.
This will not happen through declarations, conferences or promotional campaigns. It will require disciplined execution, strong institutions, financial transparency, internationally qualified medical professionals and sustained investment.
But Somaliland has an opportunity to think beyond conventional economic development.
The country is strategically positioned along one of the world’s most important maritime corridors. It has opportunities in logistics, trade, energy, agriculture, fisheries and technology. Healthcare should become another pillar of its economic diversification strategy.
What makes medical tourism particularly attractive is that its benefits extend simultaneously to economic growth, human capital development, international engagement and national well-being.
Somaliland’s future should not be defined exclusively by its pursuit of international recognition. It should also be defined by the institutions it builds, the industries it develops and the contributions it makes to the wider African continent.
Imagine a future in which patients from Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia and other African countries travel to Hargeisa for specialised treatment. Imagine medical students from across the Horn of Africa enrolling in Somaliland’s universities. Imagine internationally respected healthcare institutions operating in partnership with Somaliland’s medical professionals.
Imagine Berbera becoming a destination for medical rehabilitation and wellness, complementing a sophisticated healthcare ecosystem in Hargeisa.
And imagine Somaliland becoming known not only for its political aspirations but also for its ability to heal, educate and serve people from across Africa. That would represent a transformation of extraordinary significance.
The next medical tourism capital of Africa could be Somaliland. All it needs is the vision to begin, the partnerships to build and the determination to succeed.
