Mogadishu – Military personnel from the Somali National Army (SNA) and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) completed training on how to use the latest technology to track equipment and personnel during offensive operations.

The three-day capacity-building training organized by the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS), also taught participants how to mine and manage chunks of data using Microsoft Power BI software.

Power BI, an interactive tool, supports the analysis, visualization, and sharing of data in a way that makes it easy to identify patterns and trends, helping decision-makers make informed choices on various issues.

The SNA trainees are expected to help the Federal Government put in place an effective strategy for deploying and tracking troops and equipment during upcoming military offensives.

“This data analytics training will help Somali Security Forces track the resources mainly equipment and personnel at their disposal more effectively for any security operation they will undertake,” said Tanuj Ghimire, an Information and Communications Technology Expert at UNSOS, during the training held in Mogadishu from 17th to 19th July.

Ghimire added that, the Federal Government will also have the expertise to analyze data from various sources, including those collected from the field.

“Participants learned how to use Power BI to identify potential threats by analysing data on factors such as crime rates, incident reports, and social media activity,” he added.

Ghimire noted that the skills acquired would help the Federal Government secure the country as ATMIS transfers more security responsibilities to the Somali Security Forces in line with the African Union and United Nations resolutions.

In June, for example, ATMIS withdrew 2000 troops and handed over six Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) to the Somali Security Forces.

“Trainees also learned how to create dashboards and produce reports that provide real-time insights into Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other important metrics,” Ghimire added. 

Similar training sessions took place in February, April, and May this year. So far, UNSOS in conjunction with the Joint Mission Training Centre (JMTC) has trained approximately 35-40 Somali security forces and another 35-40 ATMIS personnel. In liaison with the JMTC, UNSOS plans to conduct a total of 40 Power BI training sessions until June 2024.