By Dipo Olowookere
The enlargement of the Xooga Military Hospital has commenced and the ceremony to flag this off was held in Mogadishu in the presence of the Italian Ambassador, Carlo Campanile, Somalian Defence Minister, Abdulkadir Sheik Ali Dini, and a large number of representatives of Somalian high-ranking military officers and of the local press.
The enlargement work consists in building a new wing of the Hospital, destined to host an operating theatre and an intensive care unit and relative ancillary services. The works were begun thanks to the USD 700,000 funding provided by the Italian Development Cooperation programme.
The works at the Xooga Hospital are the first tangible sign of the synergy between the commitment of the Italian Development Cooperation Directorate and of the CIMIC (Cooperazione Civile Militare Italiana – Italian Civil-Military Cooperation) division of the Italian contingent supporting the EUTM Somalia mission.
The CIMIC has already contributed to expanding Somalia’s power and water supply stations in 2015 and will be in charge of redoing the roofing of the building and supply medicines and laboratory equipment worth 460,000 euros over a two-year period.
The new wing, which will host the primary medical care services for the members of Somalian Armed Forces and their families, aims to considerably upgrade the offer and quality of medical treatment in one of the most densely populated districts of the Somalian capital.
The initiative also aims to provide an essential support to Somalia’s Armed Forces in their military efforts against the Al Shabaab terrorist group and to improve their relations with the capital’s civilian population, which is paying an equally high price in the conflict.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Business Post Contributor 
Dipo Olowookere