Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Somalia has urged African businesses and international investors to back its economic rebuilding, as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud used the Alamein Africa Forum in Egypt to call for trade, jobs and long-term partnerships.
Somalia’s investment appeal
Speaking on 3 October at the forum in New Alamein, Mohamud said Somalia was rebuilding and reforming its economy, and invited investors prepared to work with the country. He said productive investment was essential to job creation, economic growth and sustainable development.
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The president framed Somalia’s pitch within a wider call for African economic integration. He said stronger trade links, infrastructure, financing and connections between markets were necessary if African countries were to turn their potential into shared prosperity.
Somalia’s participation comes as its government seeks to position the country as a commercial partner in the Horn of Africa, rather than solely through the lens of conflict and humanitarian need. For Somali businesses and the wider diaspora, the message matters: sustained investment can support locally owned enterprise, employment and stronger links to continental markets.
A continental push for implementation
The Alamein Africa Forum, running from 2 to 4 October, brought together African leaders, business executives, financial institutions and development bodies. It is co-organised by Egypt, Afreximbank and the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD.
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The African Union said delegates focused on moving from broad commitments to financeable projects, with the African Continental Free Trade Area at the centre of discussions. Speakers called for better trade corridors, harmonised standards, cross-border payment systems, logistics and regional value chains.
AU Commission chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said Africa had significant agricultural, mineral, energy and human resources, but needed stronger capacity to convert ambitions into prepared, financed and implemented projects.
That argument is central to Somalia’s appeal. Investment announcements alone will not change livelihoods; projects must be transparent, commercially viable and capable of delivering decent work, infrastructure and local value creation.
From potential to practical outcomes
Mohamud’s appearance also follows talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the forum’s sidelines, where the two leaders discussed trade, investment and broader economic cooperation.
Somalia’s government is seeking to widen its partnerships as it pursues economic reforms and deeper regional engagement. But investors will weigh persistent security risks, infrastructure gaps and the cost of doing business against the country’s strategic location and commercial potential.
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The immediate test after Alamein will be whether the forum creates concrete partnerships for Somali firms and communities, rather than another round of high-level promises. A continent-wide market only benefits African people when capital is translated into enterprises, skills, productive jobs and greater ownership of African value chains.