It was August 2011 when the current president of Turkey Recep Tayyab Erdogan made a bold visit to Somalia in solidarity with the Somali people at that difficult time and to show the world that Somalia needs attention. Severe drought has affected our country as a whole from the environment to livestock to the human. People fled from their homes to Mogadishu in search of the basic needs to survive. In response to that humanitarian catastrophe, Turkish people and their government provided drugs, food and clean water to the people who had affected those humanitarian emergencies. Up till now, Tukey is a major ally to the Somali government politically, and contributes to the military, social service, business and infrastructure development.
After a decade of partnership between Somalia and Turkey, the Somali government acknowledged publicly the role of Turkish government and its people in providing development assistance to the Somali government and its people by stating that this long standing partnership which is dated back to the Ottoman Empire will last forever. Taking into account this statement and the influence of Turkey to Somalia commercially, I would like to open discussion about current trade relations between Turkey and Somalia and if there is a chance that we can promote our resources abroad.
The relations between Turkey and Somalia has a long history that dates back to centuries and the current development cooperation is multi-tiered which includes economic, military, social service and infrastructure partnership. Turkey contributed to the renovation of the economic infrastructure of the capital city such as main roads, the airport and the sea port. This has facilitated the daily business operations of the capital city and reduced the time and other uncertainties that involve business management.
From the social service perspective, Turkey has contributed to the refurbishment of DIGFER hospital which has improved the health sector of Somalia and has kept it to the international standards in terms of health facility, in-kind expatriates and the quality of drugs they prescribe to patients. On the other hand, Turkey has built schools in Somalia and provided both undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships to Somali students who are planning to advance their career.
Another example of the partnership between Somali government and Turkey private sector is the authorization of Somali government to turkey firms to manage the airport and seaport which are key sources to the revenue generations of the Somali government. Those companies will operate under the model of build-operate-transfer to renovate and improve the capacity of those sectors. As a result, this has increased higher operations efficiency of those sectors and increased the transparency in the use of funds. Moreover, the public has enjoyed access to improved service and employment opportunities for the Somali labor force.
The direct flight of Turkish Airlines between Mogadishu and Somalia which started in September 2013 was a noble step towards our economic revival and allowed Turkish businesses to engage easily in Somalia. In addition, it also helped the Somali diaspora return to their country and invest it by establishing new business. It has improved the lead time of imports and continuously improved business processes across Somalia. Besides that, it convinced Somali businesses to shift their money into Turkey and invest in the real estate and housing industry. Another Turkish company has opened Decale Hotel, a 5-star hotel, inside Aden Adde International Airport (AAIA), which is the first of its kind that delivers exquisite rooms and best A la Carte restaurant in Mogadishu-Somalia.
The humanitarian interventions of Turkey in Somalia were an important step towards increasing the product knowledge that Turkish companies can offer to Somalia. This has increased the imports and the influx of Turkish products in Somalia. From food to clothes to furniture and drugs, Somali business owners have invested a lot in Turkish products. Moreover, the adverse political stands of the current government of Somalia towards the Republic of Kenya and United Arab Emirates forced Somali business owners to establish business offices in Turkey and invest in their real estate and housing industry.
Somalia is located strategically at the Gulf of Aden just at the entrance of the red sea and the Suez Canal, which is a crucial global shipping path connecting the Indian ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the importance of this maritime route to the world economy and the extensive number of ships that pass through this strait has offered a compelling reason for the Turkish government to open its largest embassy across the world in Somalia and due to different security actors, Turkish military involvement in Somalia has become necessary as well.
Considering the partnership of Turkey with our government as a positive strategic tie between the two government and the strategic locations of the two counties can enhance the interests of both our countries politically and commercially, I believe that there is a great chance to we can market to the world from our natural and income generating sources such as agriculture, livestock, fishing, tourism and natural oil and gas by receiving the know-how and technology from Turkish business through building business partnership with them. That mindset is required from our wealthy Somali business owners by building trust in themselves and having a common goal of developing their country and community.
Stable legal environment system that encourages foreign investors to do business in Somalia is the number one factor that many international businesses are skeptical about putting their foot in Somalia knowing that our country’s strategic position and the active and cheap labor force in which our community can provide. Professional legal consulting firms, skillful lawyers and endorsement of most essential commercial laws can boost our chances to become a business hub for the continent and the world as well.
Energy and the solar system are becoming another unique factor that we cannot establish many small different kinds of manufacturing businesses in our country due to the high electricity cost which is produced mainly from imported petroleum. This also becomes a major factor that we cannot attract foreign direct investment in our country. However, if the mindset of our business leaders become collaborative and cooperative among themselves instead of competing with each other, and provide a complete service package that covers the basic needs of the country in the energy sector.
In essence, this piece of writing was to acknowledge the partnership between Somalia and Turkey and shed light into the areas that we can expand further to benefit from this partnership. We are here to recognize the efforts of our private sector that has shown entrepreneurship and resilience, and succeeded to maintain the economic activity within the country during the challenging times after the collapse of our government. Finally, we will remind our private sector to adapt with the dynamic business and technology environment and familiarize themselves to exploit the benefits of globalization with the strategic location of our country and expand their operations into the continent starting from the neighboring countries.
Abdirahman Abdinor Mohamed is an Entrepreneur and Financial expert based in Mogadishu.
