SOMALIA: The Need for Private Sector & Agricultural Engagement.

Much has been said of the horn of Africa and it is appropriate to say that the commentary has always carried a deleterious narrative. Somalia has been a nation at war with itself for various reasons; nevertheless its indigenous people have shown resilience that is extremely hard to replicate.

This spirit is not only evident in the Somali ability to live within a land void of governance or any genuine political structures outside of the tribal setting, but more so in the private sector that has flourished in over 20 years of civil strife. In fact with all the money the international aid agencies have or have not put into humanitarian efforts in Somalia, it barely compares with the remittance industry of the country. An estimated $1bn-2bn is sent to Somalia from the huge diaspora communities the world over annually.

The second largest driving force of the Somali economy is that of the telecommunication industry. The country has one of the cheapest tariffs on the continent giving people access to information the world over and enabled them to be secure in their daily financial transactions.

Mr. Tintchev of the World Bank stated, “the sector has become among the country's biggest revenue generators, and the service it provides has helped revive the economy.

It is well documented throughout the history of man; the catalyst for all the development that the world has witnessed is directly linked to the agricultural or agrarian revolution. The country has so much untapped potential but equally faces a number of issues that have been ignored by subsequent administrations, none more important than the agricultural sector and the food security of the fragile state.

Since the collapse of Mohamed Siad Barre’s regime in 1991, there has been no formal agricultural sector in the country, which was once heavily contributing to Somalia’s GDP. Prior to the civil war, Somalia was renowned for its thriving banana, sugarcane, frankincense and other commercial crops that were exported in vast quantities.

Today only 1.6 percent of the country’s total land area is used for cultivation even though agriculture has the potential to be an important economic power. The fact that only an estimated 40 percent of Somalia’s own cereal needs are satisfied by domestic production clearly shows a clear neglect and a lack of direction.

This factual dilapidation is based on a number of far reaching factors that have been overlooked by all parties involved in the restructure of Somalia, nevertheless the blame must be laid at the doorsteps of Villa Somalia.  

Two day’s into writing this article, news agency filled my social media accounts with headlines of another famine crisis in Somalia. Based on surveys conducted by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia (FSNAU) an estimated 214,700 children under the age of five are severely malnourished with 39,700 extremely malnourished.

The overall situation by December 2015 will be as dire as the last famine in 2010. According to indications by the Famine Early Warning Systems Networks (FEWS NET) approximately 855,000 to 2.3 million people will be lacking basic nourishment. Most of these people are already living a harsh reality as internally displaced persons (IPDs)

I started off writing this article focusing and trying to highlight the economical gains that could be made from direct government investment in agriculture. Plan A was to mentally sell this propaganda laced idea to any would be opportunist politician who needed a niche for the upcoming elections campaign, all the necessary data I had well crafted.

If that didn’t bare fruit then plan B was to entice other enthusiast to revel in the potential of planting a seed and watching it bloom into a genuine solution for the horn as a major generator of financial capital, of which I have personally achieved from my agricultural start up endeavours on the continent.

Most would say Somalia is used to famine, I don’t have the comfort of thinking as such, not when I witnessed the famine of 2010 first hand in Somalia. The aftermath of what I saw in my few weeks of documenting and trying to assist the hundreds who came flooding passed me towards the Kenyan border is not a cherished memory.  

The consequences of neglecting such a huge sector, deeply productive in the overall development goals is clear. For argument sake, a quick glance at the labour market in Somalia and the rest of Africa shows a genuine lack of accommodating the youth and women, even though these demographics represent the majority of the overall populous. Youth unemployment rate is consistently higher for young women throughout many African countries.

 The youth population in sub-Saharan Africa is increasing rapidly. Nearly one in three people living in the region, or about 297 million, is between the ages of 10 and 24. By 2050, that age group is projected to nearly double to about 561 million, according to PRB's The World's Youth 2013 Data Sheet.

 In general, the main factors creating sustained youth unemployment in Somalia and the continent can be attributed to the following:

• Growing conflict between economic growth and the employable generation;
• Poor quality of education, training, and skills;
• Lack of all-inclusive population policies affecting the root causes of uncontrolled rapid population;
• Low levels of investments that are not aimed at training or job creation;
• Post-conflict policies that preferred cheap and unprocessed raw materials exports;
• The lack of infrastructure and dependence on the agricultural sector

With every question there must be a genuine search for answers, and my experience and nature has lead me down this quest. The solution is quite simple, the availability of virgin uncontaminated land, the abundance of water even that of the sea which can be used to irrigate due to modern technologies, a dormant labour force that is willing to learn and a geographical location graced by the world’s shipping lanes allowing for the access into the international markets.

If that is not enough to sway your thinking, then understand that agriculture is labour intensive, its gender friendly, creates taxable wealth and allows for international bilateral ties. Somalia and its government require all these components to come together in order to function on its own without being propped up by international aid. Most importantly government initiatives would have a huge impact on food security by firstly keeping the financial power used on importation within the country and secondly allow people to start growing their own food via tailored government programs.

Hamza Egal © copyright 2015 all rights reserved.