Garowe (WDN– In a significant step toward improving urban infrastructure and public health, the Municipality of Garowe and the construction firm TTN officially signed a landmark agreement to kickstart the long-anticipated Water Drainage Project for the capital city of Puntland. The agreement, which marks the beginning of the project’s first phase, was hailed by local...
Category: Market Bazaar
Ziraat Katilim Bank’s Operations Raise Alarm in Somalia’s Financial Sector
By Ali Jama’a License Breaches and Unfair Advantage Ziraat Katilim operates under a restricted license in Somalia—one that expressly prohibits banking services to retail customers, micro-enterprises, and small enterprises. Despite this, evidence suggests the bank has flouted these limits, onboarding customers it is legally barred from serving. The Central Bank of Somalia mandates that all...
Trump’s Africa envoy laid groundwork for minerals deal in DR Congo
US President Donald Trump’s top Africa envoy laid the groundwork this week for a minerals deal in DR Congo.But any deal between Washington and Kinshasa is dependent on the US helping to negotiate peace in the African nation’s troubled eastern region, according to two people who were present for some of the meetings. After the...
Trade tensions, aid cuts won’t trigger Africa credit downgrades
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Pressure from U.S. aid freezes and global trade tension is unlikely to result in widescale credit downgrades in Africa, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday. The impact of tariffs on Africa is limited, Fitch said, due to the region’s export composition and weaker integration into global supply chains compared to a region such as Asia....
Business at home became a better bet than migration
(ERGO) – Six months after opening a men’s clothing store in the Somali capital Mogadishu, Mohamed Omar Hussein is proud to manage the lives of his four siblings and mother. His new venture has transformed their circumstances, providing stability and hope. Mohamed now ensures three meals a day, covers rent, and funds his brothers’ education through...
Why Somalia’s Path to Transformation Must Begin with Basics—”Not Grand Plans”
By Abdiqani Haji Abdi In recent years, global policymakers have championed National Transformation Development Plans (NTPs) as blueprints for middle-income nations like Kenya, Tanzania and Malaysia to leapfrog into prosperity. For Somalia, however—a country still navigating the complexities of statehood after three decades of conflict—the allure of such sweeping strategies risks becoming a distraction. While...
Africa’s GDP growth projected to hit 3.8 pct in 2025: report
ADDIS ABABA (Xinhua) — Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth is projected to rebound, reaching 3.8 percent in 2025 and 4.1 percent in 2026, a report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has revealed. The report was released Wednesday in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, during the 57th session of the...
Somalia at a Crossroads: The Promise and Pitfalls of Oil Exploration and Production
By Mohamed A. Abdullahi A nation, with a long history of conflict, political instability, and economic trials, Somalia stands on the threshold of a transformative opportunity: oil exploration and production. With prospects of having vast untapped hydrocarbon reserves- with some rough estimates of 30 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves, off and onshore collectively,...
Somalia and Ethiopia Makes Progress on Talks for Port Access
By The Maritime Executive Ethiopia and Somalia are on a path for renewed cooperation after the two sides agreed to end the Somaliland port dispute. Last week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed toured Mogadishu and held talks with Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Top on the agenda of the meeting was Horn of Africa security as...
Kenya to revise visa requirements to attract more cruise tourists
NAIROBI, (Xinhua) — Kenyan President William Ruto said on Sunday that the government will revise visa and Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) requirements for passengers arriving at the Port of Mombasa as part of efforts to boost cruise tourism. Ruto said the multiple-entry eTA will allow cruise tourists seeking to explore Mombasa to move freely between...