Bismillaahi Raxmaani Raxiim.
I'm proud to share that our team, Layli, won 1st place at the Somaliland Tech Expo 2025 – University Hackathon, representing Amoud University and the Awdal region. The award came with a $15,000 prize for the university.
The competition
The hackathon ran for a full week, with ten universities from every region of Somaliland taking part. It was a high-level competition with several stages, each one narrowing the field, and at the end, by the grace of God, our team came out on top.
What we built
We competed with Layli, an AI platform that helps teachers in the Horn of Africa plan lessons and mark homework from the textbooks their schools already use. A teacher picks a chapter, and Layli writes the lesson plan, the summary, the revision notes and the homework, then marks what students send back and shows who is struggling. You can see it at layli.me, and read more on the Layli project page.
Thank you
First, all thanks to Allah (SWT), who made this achievement possible and guided us with effort, patience and unity.
Second, thank you to the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (MICT) of the Republic of Somaliland, and especially Minister Jamaal, for his efforts and for creating opportunities for creative young Somalis to show what they can do in technology and innovation.
Thank you also to Amoud University for allowing us to take part. We represented the university and the Awdal region, and we're proud to have done them honour.
What this win means
This win shows that effort, creativity and teamwork among young people are the key to progress. It isn't a personal win: it belongs to Amoud University and to the whole Awdal region.
Congratulations to my teammates, our teachers, and everyone who stood by us at every stage.
We pray this is the beginning of even bigger achievements, and of many steps toward a brighter future.
Thank you.