Daniel Howden | The Independent

The build up to the London conference on Somalia has focused on what doesn’t work in the Horn of Africa nation – the coastguard, the central government, the security services – but the answer to the country’s crisis lies in examining what does work, argue Somali business leaders.

Read the article – The Independent

By William Maclean

LONDON (Reuters) – Turkey’s bold new interest in Somalia should be an example to other donor nations to give infrastructure projects as big an emphasis as traditional aid, a top Somali businessman said.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan visited Somalia in August, the first non-African government leader to do so for nearly 20 years. The Turks have since opened an embassy, started work on the international airport, offered Somalis university places in Turkey and made plans to build a new hospital.

The CEO of Somalia’s largest private sector employer has called for the international community to help unlock the potential of social entrepreneurship in the region, so it can stage its own recovery from issues that have plagued it for more than 20 years.

Speaking ahead of the London Somalia Conference, to be chaired by British Prime Minister David Cameron, Abdirashid Duale, CEO of Dahabshiil, Africa’s largest money transfer business, said: “Somalis have high hopes that the international community will develop a concrete plan to improve the region’s future.

The BBC’s Dan Damon spoke to the chief executive of Dahabshiil, Abdulrashid Duale

It is estimated that around one third of Somalia’s income comes from remittances sent by Somalis living abroad.

Abdirashid Duale, CEO of Dahabshiil, addressed an audience at the London School of Economics on the challenges and opportunities of delivering financial services to developing countries. The event, ‘Delivering Money in Difficult Places’, was organised by the Microfinance Club UK – an independent organisation that promotes best practice in the delivery of microfinance to poor communities around the world. It was held in collaboration with the London School of Economics Development Studies Institute (DESTIN), and chaired by Tom Sanderson, CEO of Five Talents – a microfinance charity that provides loans and training funds to groups of entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia and South America.

Some of the financial services industry’s most influential figures attended the 2011 Global Money Transfer Summit (GMTS) to urge European regulators to provide greater clarity when they review the Payment Services Directive (PSD) next year. Representatives from key stakeholder organisations such as The World Bank, The Financial Services Authority (FSA) and HMRC came together at [...]

Dahabshiil is supporting and has contributed to the famine relief campaign in East Africa.The company has donated $100,000 to help the famine hit areas of Somalia and has urged other international businesses to donate to the famine relief efforts currently underway. The Guardian – Some businesses, including British Airways, National Bank of Kuwait and Eli [...]

Selah Hennessy | London Somalia is suffering the “worst humanitarian crisis” in the world, according to the head of the U.N. refugee agency, and aid groups are working hard to make sure millions of people hit by drought have access to food, clean water and medical care. But aid is only one way to help [...]

CEO of Dahabshiil gives keynote speech on global money transfer and telecoms industries at the University of Oxford, UK 1 July 2011 Abdirashid Duale, CEO of Dahabshiil, one of Africa’s largest money transfer companies, gave the keynote address at a conference hosted by Oxford University from 29-30 June. The two day event, the first of [...]

LONDON, May 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Dahabshiil CEO Abdirashid Duale today described Africa Day as a “turning point” for the African economy. This follows recent economic reforms in many African countries which have played a significant role in promoting Africa as a viable business partner in the global market. African governments have worked to liberalise [...]