Accomplishments From the London Conference.

[Osob101]

1) Make Sure all Money/Aid coming into Somalia no Longer arrives from the UNPOS office thus weakening Kenya and rather directly comes to the Government and the UN only having a supervisory role.
2) Assurance of training of the Somali Military and you will see it starting this summer with arrival of British Troops.
3) Not yet revealed but assurances that all our debt to the IMF and World Bank will be forgiven.
4) The Control of the airspace of Somalia already given back today.

Finally thanks to reer London for being such good host.

[Titanium]

Have you heard anything else in regards to foreign companies that will be setting up shop in Muqdisho?

[Osob101]

Most of the western companies are after energy and construction while the Gulf countries seem to be after farming and Japan is keen on Fishing. I can tell you that US, UK and Turkish companies have an advantage.

[SultanOrder]

This government is seriously sitting on it's but, going from country to country and looking for handouts. Wallahi my hope for Somalia is grim. I foresee a country controlled by multi-national corporations, a rich elite, and a poor majority for a long time to come. The government is doomed to failure because it can not reform itself from within. How can Alshabab, a group of a few thousand men be more disciplined, and cost-effective than this government? It needs to learn to stand on it's own to feet, and that will take some serious sacrifices, but it's the only way. It's nothing more than a government in name that will sell us for cheap sooner or later.

[Titanium]

I foresee a country controlled by multi-national corporations, a rich elite, and a poor majority for a long time to come.

Welcome to the developing world.

[Talo alle udaa]

I foresee a country controlled by multi-national corporations, a rich elite, and a poor majority for a long time to come.

Welcome to the developing world.

Sxb, atleast will be on par with Kenya with it's political parties representing tribes. Your hear a foreign mining company getting a 99 year lease on ridiculously large tracts of land. how will your own small companies ever develop if you sign off on deals 100 years long?

The Somali government actually has a limit on how long a foreign company can lease an agreement which is a 10 years. The turks wanted a 20 year ownership over Xamar airport after they build a 10 million dollar one.

This is what each and every poor developing country need to ponder on: "we need foreign investment" which is true, but who controls the level of investment, how far it's tentacles reach, and what mechanisms are their in place to assure they do not paralyze local businesses? the countries that can find a delicate balance between the need for foreign money & expertise, and at the same time understand their danger and stay two steps ahead will be able to benefit while minimizing their monopoly like tendencies

From Europe in the 20th to the 21st century, to now India and China, cheap goods are being dumped on third world countries. Has anyone ever calculated the trading deficit of these countries?

[Titanium]

I foresee a country controlled by multi-national corporations, a rich elite, and a poor majority for a long time to come.

Welcome to the developing world.

Sxb, atleast will be on par with Kenya with it's political parties representing tribes. Your hear a foreign mining company getting a 99 year lease on ridiculously large tracts of land. how will your own small companies ever develop if you sign off on deals 100 years long?

The Somali government actually has a limit on how long a foreign company can lease an agreement which is a 10 years. The turks wanted a 20 year ownership over Xamar airport after they build a 10 million dollar one.

This is what each and every poor developing country need to ponder on: "we need foreign investment" which is true, but who controls the level of investment, how far it's tentacles reach, and what mechanisms are their in place to assure they do not paralyze local businesses? the countries that can find a delicate balance between the need for foreign money & expertise, and at the same time understand their danger and stay two steps ahead will be able to benefit while minimizing their monopoly like tendencies

From Europe in the 20th to the 21st century, to now India and China, cheap goods are being dumped on third world countries. Has anyone ever calculated the trading deficit of these countries?

You are right that foreign investment should be balanced... but in the long-term. Sure there are some dangers but at the moment, it's positives greatly outweigh the negatives. We need a lot of it right now in the short-term. Have you seen how under-developed and economically stagnant the peaceful areas of Somalia are? Why hasn't there been any meaningful investment there? These places have been peaceful for a very long time. The Somalis are only investing in hotels and restaurants. The small businesses are the backbone of all economies but there is no diversification. Somalia does not need more hotels and restaurants and corner stores. Not only are the small businesses in Somalia (safe areas) not diversified but there are no large industries. We import some of our food, they don't make their own furniture, every other product is labelled in a different foreign language and they don't even grow their own khat. Can you imagine something that the majority of Somali men are addicted to isn't even grown in their own country? You know what's ironic: The economies of those peaceful cities are identical to war-torn Muqdisho's (not in size but what those economies have to offer). The situation is very bad.

I always thought the reason why Somalis were not properly "investing" (beyond the hotels and restaurants) in the peaceful areas of Somalia is because they were waiting for Muqdisho but I have now realized that wasn't even the case. It is because Somalis lack the knowledge, lack the technology, lack intellectual property and lack a skilled workforce.

Knowledge, technology, intellectual property, skilled workforce and employment is brought with foreign investment. Somalia has none of these. We need a lot of it.

I will agree that there needs to be limits. 10 years sounds about right. And there are some areas where the foreigners shouldn't even touch to begin with. Tell the Japanese to fock off out of our waters and the aviation industry and anything regarding security.

[original dervish]

Oil companies will demand 30 year agreements at a minimum, if not outright ownership like in Iraq.

[sahal80]

This government is seriously sitting on it's but, going from country to country and looking for handouts. Wallahi my hope for Somalia is grim. I foresee a country controlled by multi-national corporations, a rich elite, and a poor majority for a long time to come. The government is doomed to failure because it can not reform itself from within. How can Alshabab, a group of a few thousand men be more disciplined, and cost-effective than this government? It needs to learn to stand on it's own to feet, and that will take some serious sacrifices, but it's the only way. It's nothing more than a government in name that will sell us for cheap sooner or later.

Govt troops are different than al shabaabs coherent mixed clan troops. In the govt, every commander and civil official has his own militia clan, according to an investigation from the natives, though looks self-centered bias, the army is ok though not that diciplined but they are not the ones who set up the isbaaro, its their commanders and the local civil officials so it seems the situation is not that dangerous it just needs to get rid of these bad commanders and officials and replace them with good ones.
The govt should spend its money on the army before any other project.

[original dervish]

The "Govt" my friend doesn`t no its elbow from its arse.