According to a statement from the Director of Somaliland Civil Aviation, Mr. Omar-Sayid Abdillahi Adan Qalinle, Fly Dubai Airlines will resume flights to Egal International after it has fulfilled the government requirements and Somaliland and the United Arab Emirates Civil Aviation authorities have signed agreements.
One of the reasons cited by the Somaliland government for banning Fly Dubai was related to the airline’s compliance with an order from the Federal Government of Somalia to abort a flight to Somaliland following its COVID-19 related ban on all flights. Ethiopian Airlines has rejected a similar order from the Somali government and continued its flights into Somaliland. In addition, necessary operational agreements for the airline were not in place.
In addition to Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, another Emirati-owned airline was banned from Somaliland at the same time. There was no mention of this airline resuming flight to Somaliland and if negotiations are still ongoing.
There have been ongoing negotiations between the government of Somaliland and Fly Dubai since it was banned from Somaliland in March 2020. It has been four months since President Bihi has fired the Previous Director of Somaliland Civil Aviation Mr. Mohamed Abdi Rodol and replaced him with Mr. Omar-Sayid Abdillahi Adan Qalinle.
TAIWAN REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOMALILAND
Sha’ab Area, Hargeisa, Somaliland
Taiwan Representative Office in the Republic of Somaliland is pleased to announce that thirteen students are awarded Taiwan Scholarship and seven students are awarded the Taiwan ICDF Scholarship in 2021 (Please see the attached list).
It’s the first time that Taiwan Government awards 20 (twenty) Scholarships awardees after Taiwan Representative Office was officially established on 17th August 2020. Moreover, there are some Somaliland students are awarded separately by the Taiwanese universities with a full or partial scholarship.
According to the attached list, most of the students major on the fields such as Healthcare, Tropical Agriculture, ICT, Soil and Water Conservation that Somaliland in need for national development. This Office believes that the scholarships awardees will return to Somaliland to contribute what they learned in Taiwan.
Taiwan Representative Office congratulates those students on the praiseworthy result of their applications for the Scholarships and uses this opportunity to thank Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperatlon, Ministry of Education and Science and National Commission for Higher Education which jointly implement the Taiwan- Somaliland Education cooperation.
Taiwan Representative Office in the Republic of Somaliland will organize an orientation for the Scholarships awardees, hold an official awarding ceremony in August, issue the visas and facilitate logistic supports to travel to Taiwan.
Taiwan Scholarship Somaliland awardees
Series
Name
Study School
l
Abdirisak Ismail Qalinle
Master of Arts in Critical and Curatorial Studies of Contemporary Art National Taipei University of Education
2
Bashir Hussan Daud
Master Program of Soil and Water Conservation National Pingtung University of Science and Technology
3
Umalkhair Jama Mohamoud
Master Program of Public Health China Medical University
4
Mustafe Abdi Farah
Master Program of Civil and Construction Engineering National Taiwan University of Science and Technology
5
Salma Ahmed Saed
Master Program of Public Health China Medical University
6
Jibril Abdi Mead
Master Program in Telecommunication Engineering National Sun Yat-sen University
7
Hamda Nowlid Ismail
Master Program in Food Science and Biotechnology National Chung Hsing University
8
Mustefa Ibrahim Farah
Ph. D Degree in Healthcare Administration Asia University
9
Abdirahman Hussein Muse
Ph. D Degree of Civil Engineering Feng Chia University
10
Muna Mahamud Musa
Master Degree in Clinic Laboratory Science Asia University
11
Abdirisak Ibrahim Farah
Master Program of Civil and Construction Engineering National Taiwan University of Science and Technology
12
Mohamed Ibrahim Abdi
Master Program of Information Management National Dong Hwa University
13
Hussein Mohamed Mohamud
Bachelor Degree in the medical field
TaiwanICDF Scholarship Somaliland awardees
Series
Name
Study Program
1
Abdisamad Abiid Omar
Master Program in Tropical Agriculture National Pingtung University of Science and Technology
2
Axmed Yuusuf Xasan
Graduate Institute of International Human Resource Development National Taiwan Normal University
3
Abdirahman Ahmed Jama
Master Program in International Health National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
4
Abdiaziz Ahmed Hashi
International Master Program in Electric Power Engineering National Sun Yat-sen University
5
Mohamed Aden Ali
International Master Program in Civil Engineering and Management National Cheng Kung University
6
Abdirashid Ahmed Mohamoud
International Master Program in Civil Engineering and Management National Cheng Kung University
7
Mohamed Abdalle Osman
Master Program in International Health National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Kenya is constructing a railway line that connects the coastal port of Mombasa and the interior of the country. It is expected to terminate at Malaba, a town on the border with Uganda, and link up with other railways that are being built in East Africa. It’s locally known as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
The passenger and freight railway line is one of the biggest infrastructure investments in Kenya’s history. Construction began in 2014 at an estimated cost of US$3.8 billion, 90% of which is supplied by a loan from the Export-Import (Exim) Bank of China and 10% from the Kenyan government.
Although the actual land area affected by the railway itself is small, parts of it are raised and it cuts through a wide range of the country’s ecologically fragile and important ecosystems. For instance, the railway cuts across Tsavo Conservation Area (which supports about 40% of Kenya’s elephant population) and the Nairobi National Park. It also traverses range lands in southern Kenya that support pastoral communities and are vulnerable to the impacts of climate and changes in land use.
My colleagues and I carried out a study to gain insights into all the impacts the railway was having on the environment.
The construction of the railway is being done in three phases. The first two phases (now completed) cover 610km. The third phase is still under construction. Our study focused along the entire stretch of the first two phases, covering eight counties from Mombasa to Narok.
Map of the railway corridor.
The project involves many stakeholders including various levels of government (such as the National Environment Management Authority and Kenya Wildlife Service), local communities, civil society organisations and the private sector. For our study, we hosted group interviews and meetings with 54 key informants from all these sectors.
We found that the construction and operation of the railways has degraded, fragmented and destroyed key ecosystems. It increased soil erosion, land degradation, flooding and habitat destruction. It also affected water bodies and wildlife movement.
Environmental impact assessments for the railway were conducted, and these are of an international standard. The final reports, which included recommendations, were written to facilitate licensing by the National Environment Management Authority, the government regulator.
However, it’s become clear that the recommendations weren’t fully implemented. Several observers identified a lack of funding, technical capacity and political interference as some of the barriers.
Project proponents must develop measures that properly mitigate the key ecosystem challenges and ensure they’re enforced.
Impact on land
Participants in our study identified that the railway line had an impact on soil, water and air contamination, during construction and operation of the line.
During construction, soil was compacted and excavated. It was also moved from one location to another to erect embankments. This has many effects on the environment. For instance, Community Forest Association officials (around the coastal mangrove forests in Mombasa) observed that sediment, eroded from the rail embankments, affected streams and plants. They said that:
not only did it affect mangroves seed development and self-germination but also blocked streams and reduced the stream size…
Another challenge was that underpasses were built to allow for movement under the railway. This is because the railway is raised. But these underpasses redirected surface water and rainfall courses. Respondents from Narok county observed that this led to erosion, leading to the siltation of water sources, including Lake Magadi – a unique saline, alkaline lake which is surrounded by wildlife and a major source of trona. This is a sodium carbonate compound that is processed into soda ash or bicarbonate of soda.
Another impact was the blasting of land for construction material. Communities around Nairobi said that this caused tremors, sometimes causing buildings to crack.
Flooding
Floods have been a major challenge. To avoid cutting through the railway embankments, contractors rerouted natural surface water flows (such as streams) to the underpasses.
But this led to increases in the volume and speed of the water flow which caused flooding and soil erosion. This was compounded by the clearing of surrounding vegetation, which would usually slow water down.
In Voi, county officials explained how storm water flooded low lying homesteads and farms during heavy rains.
A blocked river in Kitengela.
In addition, silt from construction led to the blockage or drying up of rivers, notably the Empakashe and Mbagathi rivers around Nairobi. Most communities in these areas rely on the rivers for domestic consumption, watering their livestock and irrigation agriculture.
Pollution
Another concern was oil spills. These occurred due to fuel transport accidents and because of train and railway maintenance activities.
For instance, local officials in Kibwezi County said that an oil spill polluted the Thange River. Now the river can’t be used for irrigation or domestic purposes. The land in the affected area is still unsafe for cultivation.
Noise pollution was also reported during construction and operation of the railway, particularly in the areas around Nairobi and Voi. Some communities were unable to sleep and school classes were disrupted due to the noise levels.
Dust pollution was an additional challenge. There were reports of coughs and chest pain.
Communities relying on wetlands and rivers in Voi, Kibwezi, Tuala and Narok areas lost access to some of these critical resources, and the long-term prospects are unclear.
An additional impact of the railway was the emergence of illegal activities, such as grazing in protected areas.
Officials of the Kenya Wildlife Service observed that:
local communities {were} using the underpasses to pass their livestock through to Tsavo National Park particularly around Buchuma gate.
The livestock incursions resulted in serious soil degradation in the southern part of Tsavo East.
Wildlife was also affected. About 120km of the line traverses through a key wildlife area, Kenya’s Tsavo National Park.
We learnt that elephants displayed early signs of behavioural modification. This included aggression and avoidance of the railway area.
Linear infrastructure projects like the railway must develop sustainable and ecologically sensitive measures to mitigate these impacts.
For example, underpasses must be at the right density and of the right size. At present, the underpasses are few and are located in areas not used regularly by wildlife.
In addition, water courses should be channelled and redirected to avoid flooding.
Furthermore another full assessment, involving all stakeholders, is needed of the environmental impacts of the railway. This is key to designing a sustainable railway. It must ensure that development gains are maximised while the ecosystem impacts are minimised.
The former Mayor of Hargeisa Mr. Abdirahman Mahmoud Aideed SOLTELCOLCO has approved dozens of public land plots for private individuals during and after the mayoral race that concluded on May 31st, 2021. This is according to multiple sources privy to the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. Sources add that ex-mayor SOLTELCO is planning to hand over millions of dollars worth of debt to the incoming Mayor Mr. Abdikarim Ahmed Moge.
Although the number of land plots and the size of the debt are not fully clear yet, some sources have indicated that the number of plots of land approved for transfer to private hands by ex-mayor SOLTELCO could be as high as 54 blocks or 540 plots of land and the debt could be in the millions.
After the election and prior to Mr. Moge taking the office, a renewed land grab has been reported in Hargeisa and its vicinity.
Mr. Jama Haji Ahmed Abdi, the Governor of the Marodijeh region who spoke of the ongoing land grab, has warned the outgoing local council members and stated that authorities halted several construction sites spending an investigation. It is unclear if the plots he mentioned include the dozens of blocks approved by ex-mayor SOLTELCO. The Governor did not say if any legal actions to prevent the land grab were underway.
There is no indication that Mayor Moge and his predecessor have discussed the land transfer and the debt and if President Bihi is aware of these issues. President Bihi was instrumental in Mr. Moge’s effort to avoid a protracted race among elected council members for mayor.
It is also unclear if these issues were discussed in Mayor Moge and ex-mayor SOLTELCO’s latest meeting with the Minister of Interior Hon. Mohamed Kahin and Somaliland Chief of Police Brigadier General Mohamed Adan Saqadhi Mohamoud (Dabagale). The boilerplate statement from the Ministry of Interior did not state the purpose of the meeting. The Ministry of Interior has a major oversight role in Somaliland local municipalities.
The newly elected Mayor of Hargeisa, Mr. Abdikarim Ahmed Moge’s position on public lands transfer to private individuals by ex-mayor SOLTELCO during and after the elections and, the debt is unknown. Sources close to him say that he is likely to contest and may ask for an audit to understand the size of the debt, its holders, and other relevant information to find out its legitimacy.
In the last several years, the Hargeisa Local Municipality has been audited just once by the Auditor General’s office of Somaliland. The outcome of its audit was not made public. Corruption has been pervasive in many parts of the Somaliland government, particularly local municipalities whose jurisdiction includes public lands. Skyrocketing prices have made land the most valuable commodity in Somaliland.
Our efforts to reach the newly elected mayor of Hargeisa Mr. Abdikarim Ahmed Moge and his predecessor Mr. Abdirahman Mahmoud Aideed SOLTELCO for comments were unsuccessful.
Somaliland was amongst the seventeen African countries that attained their independence in 1960, “The Year of Africa.” A former Italian colony, Somalia merged on the day it became independent with the former British protectorate of Somaliland in 1960 to form the Somali Republic. Somaliland had itself gained its full sovereignty five days earlier. The objective was to reconstitute the “Greater Somalia” of the pre-colonial era, which had included Kenya, Ethiopia, and the future Djibouti, which was at that time under French control” (Chiwanza, 2017).
Unfortunately, Somalilanders did not get a chance to fully enjoy their newfound independence on June 26, 1960, but instead, they found themselves empty-handed soon after the merger with, then a former Italian colony, Somalia.
“…The newly unified Somali Republic‘s parliament promptly created a new Act of Union for all of Somalia, but this new Act was widely rejected in the former State of Somaliland. Regardless, the southern-dominated parliament ordered a referendum in the entire country to confirm the Act of Union. Much of the north’s population boycotted the referendum, and just 100,000 northerners voted at all. Of these, over 60% of those were against the union under the new Act” (“1961 revolt in Somalia”, 2019).
A year after the merger of the two independent nations Somaliland and Somalia, a group of young army officers from Somaliland who realized that the union was a hoax decided to restore their lost independence in December, 1961. Although, they did not succeed in the attempted coup, it was the beginning of a long evolving struggle of Somalilanders to win back their country and reclaim their independence once again.
After the failed coup, the struggle continued and evolved into different forms of resistance through the years following the union.
After the civilian government was overthrown in October 1969 by the late military dictator Siad Bare, he immediately imposed new repression tactics against Somalilanders. These repression tactics were systematic in nature and were designed to break the Somalilanders’ spirit, deprive economical gains, weaken their educational achievements, and removing top senior government officials by replacing them with unqualified, loyal individuals and members of his tribe.
The former dictator denied commercial license permits and revoked existing ones from traders and the business community. The higher education medium of instruction was in Italian, therefore, students from Somaliland were `obligated to learn a new language (Italian) after they graduate from high school in order to continue a college education. There was no single college in Somaliland in three decades during the union with the former Italian colony. Intimidations, detentions, and harassments of Somaliland intellectuals and artists were common. Yet, the resistance continued and assumed a different form in the early 70s spearheaded by artists through public awareness by creating plays and composing poems carrying messages against the brutal dictator. These talented brave men were subjected to routine detentions without trials and were kept in jail for decades.
Among these talented and selfless intellectuals and artists who put their lives on the line to educate their fellow Somalis were the following legends, Mohamed Ibrahim Hadrawi, Abdi Aadan Haad (Qays), the late Mohamed Haashi Dhama (Gaariye), and other many brave men and women.
The revolt that started in 1961 by young junior officers continued in different forms throughout the years, however, at the beginning of the 80s it morphed into another form of armed struggle and the “Somali National Movement” (SNM) was formed on April 6. 1981 in London and eventually established their armed unit inside Ethiopia. SNM consisted of two integral and collaborative parts based on skillset and subject matter expertise. This division of labor between the armed units and top political executives made problem-solving and addressing complex issues much easier.
The top military brass command officers had the advantage of having led a real wartime experience in the Ethiopia/Somalia war of 1977 in which they were successful in defeating the most powerful Ethiopian military in a very short period after the engagement.
While in the process of building and enlisting fighters inside Ethiopia, they were not getting military supplies and other supportive materials from Ethiopia except the permission to operate within their borders.
During this period, Mengistu Haile Mariam of Ethiopia was having a problem of his own from Eritrean fighters, while battalions of his arm forces were protecting the Somalian/Ethiopian border. On the other side of the border, Siad Bare was facing armed movements operating in Ethiopia. To quash these resistances, Mengistu and Siad Bare agreed in their meeting in Djibouti in 1988 to halt supporting the forces against them and shift their priorities. Mengistu immediately notified the leaders of SNM to wrap it up and end their fight and leave his country. This unexpected move from Ethiopia was a major below to SNM’s plans since Ethiopia served as their location of regrouping and retreat during their operations in Somalia. SNM did not have significant fighters and adequate military equipment to face the Somali National Army. SNM executives and military leaders met for few days to come up with a viable resolution and where to go from there. The SNM fighters had a prior number of sophisticated rescue missions including the rescue of Abdillahi Asker a fellow military officer and the break-in operation of the Mandheera prison where they rescued innocent businessmen, students, and other political prisoners.
After intense deliberations, they decided to move forward and face head-on the ugly reality, understanding clearly that there is nowhere to retreat or regroup. At that moment the number of SNM fighters range from 2400-2800 equipped with light weapons, against a mighty mechanized Somali National Army, spread along the border. To a lot of people, this seemed like a suicidal operation or a mission impossible. Yet, they marched on.
The biggest Somali military bases at that time were located in Hargeisa, now the capital of Somaliland and the second capital Burao. The SNM leaders decided, instead of engaging the Somali military in direct combat, they decided to bypass the front-line army and went straight to attack the two major bases inside.
Miraculously, the mighty military force of Somalia which had defeated the most powerful Ethiopian military within days of the armed conflict was eventually defeated and humiliated by a mere 2500-2800 fighters with no significant training and over-numbered brave men and women Somaliland fighters. Thirteen Somaliland young female fighters participated in those final direct combat missions.
Finally, they liberated their country and people from a brutal dictator and reclaimed their independence once again on May 18, 1991.
On the other hand, Somaliland just recently successfully held the seventh national election which consisted of twin elections of parliamentary and local governments. It was the most transparent, free, and fair election in the history of Africa according to the multi-national, organizations and representatives from different governments around the world. Another significant factor, they defied and transcended tribal endorsement and support of candidates, which allowed a minority candidate to win the majority of the vote in the parliamentary race.
The developed nations, United Nations, African countries, and other world-leading democracies should pay attention and support Somaliland to gain recognition. Somaliland did not secede from Somalia. Somaliland reclaimed its independence for the second time. It is a rebirth of a nation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mohamed Adan Samatar is a Former State of Arizona Government Management and holds BSc, MS Agriculture. He can be reached madan.samatar01[@]gmail.com
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints of Somaliland Chronicle, and its staff.
The President of the Republic of Somaliland HE Muse Bihi Abdi has inaugurated the completion of the first phase of the modernization and expansion of Berbera Port, which started in late 2018.
Following the successful Parliamentary and Local council elections that were held on May 31st and days away from its independence day of June 26th, the completion of the 442 million dollar expansion is another milestone that makes Somaliland a major player in global trade and puts it in direct competition with other regional ports including Djibouti’s flagship Daroleh port.
Speaking at the event, President Bihi said “This is a proud and historic moment for Somaliland and its people, as the completion of the first phase has made our vision of establishing Berbera with its strategic location into a major trade hub in the region a reality. With the new terminal, along with the second phase of expansion and economic zone along the Berbera corridor, we are now firmly positioned to further develop and grow our economy through increased trade, attracting foreign direct investment and creating jobs”.
At the inauguration event, President Bihi and DP World officials announced a second expansion phase that will extend the port’s quay from 400 meters to 1,000 and add seven more STS gantry cranes to allow the port to handle up to two million TEUs a year and multiple large container vessels at the same time.
“Our further expansion of the port in a second phase, and its integration with the special economic zone we are developing along the Berbera Corridor, reflects our confidence in Berbera and intent to develop it into a significant, world-class center of trade. It will be a viable, efficient, and competitive option for trade in the region, especially for Ethiopian transit cargo,” said Mr. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the DP World Group Chairman, and CEO.
Over 200 people attended the inauguration event, including an Ethiopian government delegation led by their Excellencies Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance, and Dagmawit Moges, Minister of Transport. Ethiopia has a population of 112 million is landlocked is Somaliland’s largest trade partner holds a 19% stake in Berbera Port.
Besides the port upgrade and modernization by DP World, the construction of a major highway project dubbed Berbera Corridor funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) is underway. The Berbera Corridor will link Berbera Port to DP World’s 1 billion dollars dry port facility recently announced on the Ethiopian side. The United Kingdom is funding a 22.5 kilometer Hargeisa Bypass section of the Berbera Corridor.
Although Somaliland has not gained international recognition, it has been successfully attracted direct foreign investment from some of the world’s largest corporations, such as DP World and Trafigura.
In order to enhance Somaliland’s maternal and infant health care capacity, the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the government of the Republic of Somaliland have commenced the “Maternal and Infant Health Care Improvement Project” under the framework of the “ICDF (International Cooperation and Development Fund) Technical Cooperation Agreement”. This bilateral cooperation demonstrates the spirit of “Taiwan model” assistance which not only provides tangible equipment (hard power) but also enhances capacity-building (soft power).
Ambassador of Taiwan Representative Office in Somaliland Allen C. LOU said at the ceremony that the “Maternal and Infant Health Care Improvement Program” is a joint effort of the Taiwan Representative Office in the Republic of Somaliland, Taiwan ICDF, Kaohsiung Medical University, and the Ministry of Health Development of Somaliland. According to the signed implementing arrangement, Taiwan agreed to fund nearly US$300,000 this year to purchase prioritized medical equipment including two ambulances, a portable ultrasound machine, an infant incubator, infant and adult O2 oximeters, and so on. We cherish every infant in Somaliland’s hope so we are glad to share the experience with Somaliland to help infants and their mothers to have better medical care.
Ambassador also mentioned that the Medical Cooperation Agreement signed on 16th June 2021 by Taiwan and Somaliland Foreign Ministers will lay the legal foundation for further healthcare cooperation in Somaliland. And about 1/3 of the Taiwan ICDF and Scholarship granted to Somaliland students are relating to healthcare studies in Taiwan. Taiwan Representative Office in the Republic of Somaliland tries to integrate the ongoing cooperation horizontally and vertically to maximize the cooperation effect to benefit the Somaliland people directly and without leaving any “debt traps”. That is the Taiwan-model cooperation in Somaliland.
Minister Omar of the Ministry of Health Development said that health care knows no borders. The Somaliland government is committed to improving the national medical environment. It is grateful to the Taiwan government for continuing to provide Somaliland with medical and anti-COVID-19 medical supplies. Under this project, Taiwan will help to train some seed trainers to improve their profession and skills in the future.
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Taiwan is helping and Taiwan has long been contributing on many fronts. We believe that after more and more African countries understand what is Taiwan-model cooperation in Somaliland, they will further to support “Let Taiwan help”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Somaliland has unveiled the Country Profile information booklet. In a ceremony headlined by the Vice President of Somaliland HE Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismail Saylici, the Deputy and Acting Foreign Minister of International Cooperation Hon Liban Yusuf Osman and attended by other ministers including the Minister of Finance, Dr. Saad Ali Shire is intended to convey Somaliland’s story, past and present, and its and legal case for recognition to the outside world.
Vice President Saylici has congratulated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for compiling the information in the booklet and described it and the information it contains as the genealogy of Somaliland and a vital tool to ensure others know about the Republic of Somaliland and its history and said that it needs to be widely available locally and overseas.
The Deputy and Acting Foreign Minister of International Cooperation Hon. Liban Yusuf Osman who also spoke at the unveiling event stated that the information compiled in the booklet is meant to counter false information about the Republic of Somaliland on the web and elsewhere and added that it focuses on eight primary areas geography, demographics, historical background, the rebirth of Somaliland, legal case of Somaliland, economy, and investment potential.
The Minister of Finance Dr. Sa’ad Ali Shire emphasized the importance of widely disseminating the information to heads of state, African Union members, and the United Nations and said that “if we are not seen or heard, we do not exist”. He also stated that the profile information needs to be made available in Somali.
The 76 page Country Profile document has been underway for about 19 months and has cost close to 21,000 US dollars from the Recognition Fund. It is unclear if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation plans to launch a digital campaign to disseminate the information by creating a mobile application or if it will be sent around in hard copies or digital format. The Country profile is available for download below.
Think of your favourite former male football player from Europe. You probably remember beautiful goals, unbelievable saves, fighting spirit. What is he doing now? Coaching? Or is he a player agent? Perhaps a sports commentator?
Now think of your favourite former male football player who migrated from an African country to play in Europe. He probably evokes similar images of fantastic playing. But what is he doing now? Don’t know? Please don’t cheat and say it was George Weah, winner of the Ballon D’Or award in 1995 and now president of Liberia.
Indeed, beside a few remarkable post-playing trajectories, we know relatively little about the whereabouts of former African footballers who played in Europe – whether they had a full playing career or had to stop playing professionally earlier in life.
But why is this so? We’ve conducted variousstudies to try and shed more light.
Structural exclusion
First of all, only a few African migrant players remain in the game as coaches or in administrative positions in European football. Among the most prominent are Mário Wilson from Mozambique who played most of his career in Portugal and coached SL Benfica to win the Portuguese championship in 1976. There’s also Michael Emenalo from Nigeria who served as technical director for FC Chelsea and AS Monaco after having played for various teams in the US, Europe and Israel. More recently, the former Nigerian international Ndubuisi Egbo won the Albanian league title with FK Tirana in the 2019/20 season, while Mbaye Leye, a former Senegalese international, was appointed Standard Liège’s new head coach in December 2020.
Instead, former African footballers have become coaches or, player agents, or are otherwise occupied in the football industry only after returning to Africa, even if their initial plan was to stay in Europe and pursue their post-playing livelihoods there.
Given the impact of African players in European football, this is remarkable and certainly a waste of coaching talent for the European football industry.
Recently, player Raheem Sterling and academic Paul Campbell have pointed to the structural inequalities that prevent former Black players from embarking on coaching or administrative positions in European football. Indeed, if Black footballers account for 30% of the players in the English Premier League but only 1% of the managers, the structural exclusion of Black players is obvious.
Certainly, coaching positions in professional European football are limited and the competition is high. Yet what happens to the majority of African players, how do their trajectories evolve after a playing career?
The answer is disillusioning. Notwithstanding the handful of football celebrity accounts, our research indicates the majority of professional African players in Europe are widely ill-prepared for their post-playing trajectories and face social and economic challenges after their playing careers end for whatever reason.
These challenges do not come out of the blue. They are a continuation of the various risks, uncertainties and hardships many African players experience during their international careers.
A case study
The reality of these hardships facing African players at all levels of the game in Europe is illustrated by Ibrahim (a pseudonym), interviewed in our study. He travelled to Denmark as a promising 18-year-old talent from Nigeria, signed by an up-and-coming club. Despite his talent, he never experienced a breakthrough.
During his career, Ibrahim suffered from recurrent illness and a severe injury. Most of his contracts were not renewed and he changed clubs frequently, spending most of his career in the lower-tier divisions of the country, in which salaries were minimal, roughly US$2,000 a month before taxes.
Following a second knee injury and the termination of his contract, he was unable to find a new club. After eight years in the country, he was forced to start thinking about life after football. Although he was in his mid twenties and did not want to give up the dream of professional football, he could not afford to focus only on training to recover while looking for a new club. There existed only few alternatives. He recalls
I just wanted to work. I just wanted to earn money but I didn’t have any education. How can you survive?
Nevertheless, since he was entitled to social benefits, Danish municipal authorities demanded further qualifications and sponsored his training to become an assistant nurse. He graduated after a 14-month course and now works full time as an ancillary nurse in the elderly care sector, a job in which salaries are rather low and which comes with particular challenges due to the injuries he incurred.
Ibrahim’s story is not unique. In general, African footballers form a particularly vulnerable group of professional athletes in Europe. More than others they are affected by underpayment and short contract lengths and often face economic hardships.
Investing in the future
Though every professional footballer needs to constantly deliver a strong performance, African players are under particular pressure. For them, getting a better paid contract or a more lasting deal is often an existential need to secure one’s livelihood and that of their families in Africa. To avoid failure in Europe and the shame of returning home empty-handed, African players tend to exclusively focus on their professional playing careers.
Only very few have the time, means, knowledge and relations that are essential to provide for their post-playing trajectories. On the contrary, in Denmark as in other Scandinavian countries, local players often enjoy support to provide for their post-playing careers, for example through dual career opportunities and combining professional football with education or a job training.
African players are often excluded from this due to their widespread lack of required qualifications or language skills necessary to enter educational programmes in Europe. And European clubs seldom show great interest in providing for adequate courses or job training. Certainly it would contradict their cost-benefit approach to secure great African talent at relatively low prices.
Several of our research participants work as assistant nurses in the elderly care sector as Ibrahim does, or as cleaners or delivery workers. Though these jobs may secure immediate livelihoods, they involve challenging working conditions.
Ohio University Press
Hence, and given the structural constraints in the European football business, limited access to education, rather low salaries, short contracts and the need to almost exclusively focus on sportive performance, many end up in precarious living conditions. After a playing career opportunities for upward social mobility are scarce – no matter if one was known for beautiful goals, unbelievable saves or a great fighting spirit.
This article is one of a series on the state of African sport. The articles are each based on a chapter in the new book Sports in Africa: Past and Present published by Ohio University Press.
Ambassador Allen C. Lou of the Taiwan Representative Office in the Republic of Somaliland hands over 560 tons of quality rice to Chairman Faisal Ali Sh. Mohamed of Natural Disaster Preparedness & Food Reserve Authority (ADFOR) on 20th June 2021.
Taiwan noted NADFOR issued a letter on 8th April 2021 to call on international community to provide immediate humanitarian assistance particularly food to the Somaliland people in need to fight against the drought. Realizing the threats that faced by Somaliland, Taiwan initiated to donate 560 tons of quality rice, almost double than donated in 2020, to Somaliland Government to allocate to the needy families to mitigate the impact. It is hoped that at least 18,666 families can be benefited.
Besides the humanitarian aids, Taiwan and Somaliland also commenced development cooperation in the fields of Healthcare, Agriculture, ICT, and Education, etc. It is believed the said cooperation which incarnates the spirit of the “Taiwan Model” will benefit Somaliland people directly.
