Motivation Letter

Dear Sir or Madam,

With this letter, I would like to express my strong desire to attend for the Master's degree program in
Marine Biology and International Studies in Aquatic Tropical Ecology, which will begin in 2023, through
the DAAD Scholarship.

I grew up in Merca, which is a seafaring city, and my home was so close to the sea. When I was little, I
would go swimming. I loved to see the fish and their diversity through the landing state. As I grew older,
I understood the vast gap in education in oceanography and the untapped potential of marine resources in
my country, as well as the impact of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by foreign fishing
vessels. And slowly, the fish catch was less diverse. In addition, overfishing and climate change are
threatening our ocean resources. This saddened me to see the vast gap in education of marine science and
how much IUU fishing deprives my country and how much we are hurting nature, and since then I
wanted to study the oceans and do something about it. The passion carried me through my education in
Sudan, where I graduated with my B.Sc in Marine Science and Fisheries. During my bachelor’s I gained
experience and knowledge and also developed skills by actively participating in seminars and trainings
related to the field of marine science. Distance learning is also one of the sources of my knowledge. I
have taken online courses related to this field. The passion is a driver for me to continue my studies in
marine science beyond the bachelor level.

My educational background aligns with this Marine Biology and International Studies in Aquatic
Tropical Ecology (ISATEC) programme and will enable me to dive deeper into my career.
Moreover, I would like to continue my studies to acquire contemporary knowledge and
experience. I believe this Master's program in Marine Biology and International Studies in
Aquatic Tropical Ecology would provide me the possibility of exploring greater aspects of the
field to develop my skills. This will aid me in placing myself in a better position to achieve my
future career goals.

Moreover, I have the hands-on experience of working in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources
of the Federal Government of Somalia. My position as a fisheries and MSC officer involves working on
cross-cutting issues of marine science. This work, in addition to my participation in a variety of field
training and workshop programs, has taught me the importance of perseverance in achieving positive
changes in and for society in the field of marine sciences. For this reason, I am pursuing an education
beyond a bachelor's degree so that I can acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to implement
conservation and fisheries management more effectively and integrate marine sciences into society for the
betterment of our oceans and to put my intellectual aptitude to work on the challenges in my country.

My country, Somalia, has the longest coastline in Africa, covering a distance of 3,898 kilometers. But it
has been very much impacted by the Civil War, and ensuing periods of instability have disrupted formal
education, training, and other skills development. There is an acute shortage of skills at all levels and in
all occupations. A significant educational gap in all academic institutions and a very weak ability to
conduct research and develop programs have caused an underutilization of its marine resources.

I am extremely committed to and eager to close these gaps of development and skills acquisition and
implementation in the marine sector in Somalia. I would like to be an active player in closing the
Educational gap in my country, I foresee this as my opportunity to develop my career,upgrade my skills
and experiences, by gaining a comprehensive understanding and getting the support from the experts of
marine biology at the University of Bremen.

More so, the technological advancement and development in German’s marine research have intrigued
me to pursue my post-graduate studies in this country. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation
and Development (BMZ) of Germany pledged to extend their cooperation support to Somalia and efforts
to revamp Somalia’s system for multi-year technical and vocational training courses. This has even made
me more motivated to study in Germany and learn about its culture. In addition, this will help enable me
to contribute to and promote the mutual relationship between my country and Germany.

In conclusion, my professional experience and my career path in the field of marine science would make
me an appropriate candidate for the course. I am eager to bring an adaptive and innovative environment
for marine sciences to my country by learning new skills and putting them to use.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

AHMED SH IBRAHIM SH ABA

Date: 13.08.2022 Signature: