Is Somalia ready to recieve overseas investment?

Somalia, a country whose landscape used to be awash with beautiful colonial villas, has been decimated by two decades of civil war between the state and warlords desperate to take complete control.  The conflict has titled the capital, Mogadishu, the most dangerous city in the world.

There does at last seem to be light at the end of the tunnel. A crop of new housing estates is beginning to rise from the ruins of the conflict.  With many diaspora Somalis choosing to return to the country, having earned wealth overseas, now would seem the time for people to capitalize on the relative peace in the city.

One of said developments is located around four miles outside the capital in what used to be rural land.  There are at least 50 completed houses on this estate and they plan to continue to develop the area.  The project began back in 2015 and has seen investment for both commercial and residential property.

It has taken some time to get to this stage. Tens of thousands we’re forced to flee their homes during the conflict, and many still live in plastic and rag shelters in the capital.  With many of the buildings deemed too dangerous to habit, the state is left with little option but to pull them down and start again.  It’s this need for investment which has seen an influx of Somali businessmen moving back to the country.

For those returning with dollars earned abroad, the estate reflects the possible profits to be made even in a still dangerous country.