THE EMPEROR Posted May 14, 2006 Somalia flourished precisely because of the "world community’s" neglect. In Somalia, "the very absence of a government may have helped nurture an African oddity — a lean and efficient business sector that does not feed at a public trough controlled by corrupt officials," wrote Peter Maas in the May 2001 issue of The Atlantic Monthly. Tele-communications, transportation, and shipping companies were organized up to provide services to the liberated private sector. Internet cafes have sprung up in Mogadishu. Private security firms helped businessmen protect their investments and property. A recent World Bank study grudgingly admitted: "Somalia boasts lower rates of extreme poverty and, in some cases, better infrastructure than richer countries in Africa." This is almost certainly because it is not cursed with a World Bank-subsidized central government to siphon away the nation’s wealth. http://www.thenewamerican.com/artman/publish/article_996.sht ml ------------------------------------------------------------------- Somali Businesses Stunted by Too-Free Enterprise By Ian Fisher There are five competing airlines here; three phone companies, which have some of the cheapest rates in the world; at least two pasta factories; 45 private hospitals; 55 providers of electricity; 1,500 wholesalers for imported goods; and an infinite number of guys with donkeys who will deliver 55 gallons of clean water to your house for 25 cents. What Somalia does not have is a government, and in many ways, that makes it the world's purest laboratory for capitalism. No one collects taxes. Business is booming. Libertarians of the world, unite It is striking that Somalia, unlike many parts of Africa, has achieved this thriving business climate on its own, without the usual aid and advice from rich nations. They have all but disengaged from Somalia since the failure of the United Nations operation here in the early 1990's. Somalis have learned that they are pretty good at making money. It's entrepreneurism that's doing it," said Ahmed Abdisalam Adan, director of programs for Horn Afrik, Somalia's first independent radio and television station, established last year. "It's who has more creativity. It's who is willing to take risks. Before it was the government. The government could make you rich one day and poor the next ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Answer for Africa by Shafer Parker According to Andrew Cockburn in the July issue of National Geographic magazine, Somalia is rising, phoenix-like, from the ashes of the 1993 war and becoming an economic powerhouse in eastern Africa precisely because anarchy has reigned ever since. Consider Cockburn’s on-the-scene assessment of what has happened since the war. "Like plants sprouting after a forest fire, Somalis have managed to survive and build on their own, in some respects with more success than developing nations on the receiving end of international aid and advice." Significantly, the Somalis get it. They have learned through experience that less government is good, and that no government is better. Hear what telecommunications tycoon Abdirizak Ido told Mr. Cockburn: "We have been through some hard times, but the worst was when we had a government. Once there was no government, there was opportunity!" Small entrepreneurs are doing well. Better yet, they also understand they are doing good. "In the northwestern city of Hargeysa, in the congested Sheikh Nur community for returned refugees, the Ismail family invested their meager resources in a water tap to supply the entire neighborhood. Abdi Ismail not only garners a weekly profit of $20 but also points out: ‘We are contributing to rebuilding Somaliland.’" Needless to say, in a land where enterprise is truly free, the customer is king. Ten phone companies compete for business in the capital city of Mogadishu. Landline service is connected eight hours after it's ordered. And it only costs $10 a month. North Americans should be so well off. Cell phone connections are instantaneous. Local calls are free and international calls are only 60 cents to a dollar a minute. Amazingly, long distance is available even in remote villages, due to shortwave radio hookups. Somalis proudly point out that their phone service is far superior to anything found in neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia. All kinds of private enterprise is flourishing. Mogadishu now boasts a spaghetti factory, a plastics factory, a mineral-water plant, a bakery, and two fiercely competitive cable companies. And contra the protestors that have flocked to the G-8 summit to scream out their belief that economic fairness means the UN must be allowed to forcibly redistribute the world’s wealth, Somalia’s nouveau riche even give something back to the community. For instance, Abdirizak Osman, an entrepreneur in the desert town of Gaalkacyo who started with phones, then branched out to electrical generators, now provides street lights and free electricity to the local hospital. Incidentally, the local Muslim fundamentalists can't get a foothold, not since 1993, anyway. People have better things to do. And clan loyalties, now allowed to flourish, prevent the fundamentalists from controlling any significant power-base. Despite rumors and innuendos flowing from the US State Department, Somalia is no friend of al Qaeda terrorists either. When the US government reported that Osama Ben Laden might be heading for the Horn of Africa, Somali novelist Nuruddin Farah suggested he should stay away if he did not want to be cashed in for the $25-million reward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A certain Canadian conglomerate, the Horn of Africa Free Zone Authority, will be constructing a free port on the peninsula Hafun. On a map of Somalia, Hafun is that body of land which doesn't look like its apart of the land mass that is Somalia but is extending outwards from the Puntland area. The group is currently putting the concrete and the basic foundation of this future city. It is 200 square miles, enough for major hotels, beaches, or other buildings to be created. Seeing that Somalia will become a likely in let for business with the African continent, and as long as Mogadishu remains a closed port, Hafun seems like an unbeatable investment. HAFZA will be publically traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). I have no idea what they want to do about security, but seeing as they are building this city, the corporation, much like those government corporations in Dubai like Nakeel, will be the sole provider of security. http://www.hafza.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Business Attraction in Puntland, Somalia Bossaso city has become a magnet for foreigners who want to invest in Africa. This week alone, there are about half a dozen business people representing Chinese and South Korean corporations in the city. These representatives and others who frequent Puntland want to invest in the region and expand their business to this part of the world. Interested people include wealthy business men from the Middle East. Puntland (North Eastern Somalia) has not been touched by the country’s civil war and has remained stable after the fall of Somalia’s central government in 1991. It lies on the tip of East Africa and borders Indian Ocean and Red Sea. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
THE EMPEROR Posted May 14, 2006 NO AIDS By STEPHANIE NOLEN Monday, July 25, 2005 XUDDUR, SOMALIA -- They have posters. They have training manuals. They have wipe-off markers. The only thing that the earnest band of AIDS educators in this Somali town don't have is, well, any people with AIDS. At least none they know of. The breadth of the AIDS pandemic has led to the idea in the West that the entire continent is ravaged by the disease. But Somalia -- isolated for 14 years since the civil war began and populated by devout Muslims -- has an infection rate of perhaps only 1.5 or 2 per cent of the adult population. Its isolation has helped to keep the infection rate one of the lowest in Africa at a time when countries to the south are reporting infection rates of 40 per cent of the adult population http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...News/TPStory/L AC/20050725/SOMALIA25/TPInternational/Africa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
THE EMPEROR Posted May 14, 2006 Somali business community to create Chamber of Commerce and Industry – UNDP welcomes the declaration of intent by the Somali business community to create the Somali Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The pronouncement comes at the conclusion of a two-day follow up meeting to the high level Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) dialogue held in Djibouti where the business community pledged to support and participate in the peaceful and economic reconstruction of Somalia. “The private sector has sustained Somalia for the last fourteen years in the absence of a functional central government. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry will enhance that role, and support the new Somali government through a united voice and the action of business,†says Sharif Ahmed, current Chairman of the Somali Business Council. “In addition, the Chamber will foster networks within the region and globally, promoting investment.†To this end the business community has formed an interim advisory committee of eight members to oversee the initiation of the Chamber of Commerce within the next eight weeks. With the support of UNDP Somalia, the working group will institute a draft constitution, approve a technical expert to assist in the formation of the Chamber, bring together other Chamber members to approve the final constitution, and elect its executive board and chairperson. “For UNDP, this is a clear indication of the Somali business community’s resolve to be a part of the reconstruction effort in Somalia,†UNDP Resident Representative Maxwell Gaylard noted. “This is, and will continue to be a Herculean task and we encourage more Somali-led initiatives that can make a positive contribution to the development of the country.†Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
THE EMPEROR Posted May 14, 2006 new bottling plant has opened in the Somali capital Mogadishu. It is the largest single investment in the country since central government collapsed 13 years ago, and is a sign of growing business confidence. More than 500 people attended the opening of the Coca-Cola plant, whose forerunner was destroyed in the early 90s. The absence of a central government and continuing lawlessness in Somalia has, until now, deterred investors. The old Coke plant was destroyed at the beginning of the country's civil war. But the relative calm of the last few years has encouraged Somalis living overseas to put more money back into the country. The man behind the Coca-Cola factory, AbdiRisak Isse, told the BBC that the opening was a big day, not just for him but for the whole of Somalia. "This is the beginning of a new era for Somalia," Mr Isse said, "This is the turning point. Somalia is normal and anybody can do business here. "We need to work for to make the security better, and we want to create investment confidence in this country, and we need so many people to come back to their home country and do business here." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
THE EMPEROR Posted May 14, 2006 new infrastructure of roads and schools hospitals and shopping centers are being build 252 SHOPS 5 RESTAURANT AMPLE PARKING UP TO 150 CARS Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
THE EMPEROR Posted May 14, 2006 VIVA SOMALIA!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ElPunto Posted May 15, 2006 Originally posted by THE EMPEROR: NO AIDS By STEPHANIE NOLEN Monday, July 25, 2005 XUDDUR, SOMALIA -- They have posters. They have training manuals. They have wipe-off markers. The only thing that the earnest band of AIDS educators in this Somali town don't have is, well, any people with AIDS. At least none they know of. The breadth of the AIDS pandemic has led to the idea in the West that the entire continent is ravaged by the disease. But Somalia -- isolated for 14 years since the civil war began and populated by devout Muslims -- has an infection rate of perhaps only 1.5 or 2 per cent of the adult population. Its isolation has helped to keep the infection rate one of the lowest in Africa at a time when countries to the south are reporting infection rates of 40 per cent of the adult population http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...News/TPStory/L AC/20050725/SOMALIA25/TPInternational/Africa Nice pictures Emperor. Bullshit to the above quote - Somalia is generally AIDS free because of Islam not because of isolation. And where did they get the figure of 1-2% - these people know little about the country and its vital statistics as they haven't been near it for such a long time. I'm no health expert but I would venture to say less than 1%. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
THE EMPEROR Posted May 15, 2006 THEPOINT i agree it's b.s and there just speculating it's definitly lesser that 1% the reason why somalia has no aids is because of islam just look at the other black african islamic countries in africa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
THE EMPEROR Posted May 17, 2006 somalia 4th largest importer of Brazil Apart from Saudi Arabia, Somalia also increased its imports from Brazil. The African country rose from purchases of US$ 6.5 million in February 2005 to US$ 17 million last month. The country even rose to the position of fourth largest importer of products from Brazil among the Arabs, in terms of revenues. "We exported commodities to Somalia," stated Alaby. In fact, almost the entire increase in and value of sales to the country were from sugar shipments. The ranking of main importers of Brazilian products among the Arabs in February has Saudi Arabia at the top, followed by Egypt, with US$ 68 million, the United Arab Emirates, with US$ 39 million, Somalia, and Morocco, with US$ 13.7 million. Among the countries that most increased their purchases in percentages, however, are countries that do not buy significant volumes, like Djibouti, whose purchases grew 1,187%, but reached just US$ 309,000. bilateral trade between the two countries is growing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
