9. Entrepreneurial and proud locals
Somaliland’s annual budget was around $300 Million in 2016. This is a very low amount for a country of 3,5 Million population. However, most of the economic development and business is fueled by the many Somalilanders returning to the country every year and the remittances sent from abroad.
It is estimated that the amount of remittances sent by the Somalilanders living abroad could be almost 2.5 times the annual budget of the government. These remittances are sent by the diaspora living in Europe and North America and are often sent in the form of small amounts via remittance companies. This would mean that remittances contribute over half of Somaliland’s GDP as per the UN Office for the High Representative of the Least Developed Countries.
10. Fast internet and free WiFI
I spent a long time planning for my trip to Somaliland and making sure I had all the email auto-responders and measures in place for not being reachable for five days. However, this was not necessary as I found myself perfectly connected in Somaliland.
The availability of internet services was perhaps one of the most interesting and unexpected facts about Somaliland and one which I certainly did not expect.
The internet connectivity is essential to the money transfer ecosystem as you can’t pay or receive money if you don’t have signal, but even to someone who was a telecoms consultant in emerging markets for eight years like me, the connectivity in Somaliland was quite impressive. It was not the fastest, but it certainly was pervasive.
However, note that internet for visitors does not come cheap and we bought 4GB for $50 at the airport. The Damal Hotel I stayed at both in Hargeisa and Berbera both had free internet for guests and the airport had free WiFi.
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About the Author
HI, I’M MAR
Twitter @MarPagesTWL Instagram @ onceinalifetimejourneys
