Seen way too much hopium on here recently

[Idilinaa]

It's not even hopium. Yall have to much grudge and deepseated hatred for the Somali collective, it borders on mental illness. I am sure some of you actually suffer from it, one of you admitted to it by saying you guys have manic episodes. If true hope yall get the help you need, but don't take the Kanye route.

I don't know which is more disturbing the intense grudge yall have or the fact that you spawn users larping as this clan or coming from this or that region of Somalia. Yall don't have the courage to be your own authentic selves & hide behind fake online personas and are just consumed with circle jerk resentment.

I mean this guy @geeljre49 pretended to be in Xamar and used to figures from 2014 to imply how expensive electricity is in Somalia, them not using affordable energy etc. When in reality the price of electricy has come down from 1.04 to 0.20USD in 2020-23 and people are actually using green energy in high numbers which by 2025 this year it will be 80% making Somalia not only one of the highest electricity rates in the continent but the first to rely on renewable energy for most of it's energy.

He really said "Nobody in Mogadishu uses it renewable energy" , as if they have a choice in not using it, they use the electricity the provider gives them.

This is just to show the level distrubing behaviour and larping yall actually surfer from. Waa maskax xanuun that drives yall to deny real time happenings.

The only one who actually remotely post about anything related to Somalis development, progress and growth and future prospects is me, it used to be @Three Moons but he left.

You can tell by the level of disinterest yall have is ridicilous, any improvement or development is like ''i don't want to hear it'', thats the energy and feedback i get.

Somalia’s Economy is Growing Faster Than Most African Nations

This is the reality:

- Somalia has a booming private sector driven by trade, real estate, logistics, telecom, and finance

- Foreign debt is near zero, unlike Ethiopia, Kenya, and other African nations.

- The Somali diaspora injects billions into the economy every year—remittances alone contribute ~$2.9 billion, acting as direct investment into businesses and development.

Official estimates put Somalia’s GDP at around $10–15 billion, but this is based on outdated and underreported data. World Bank/UN indicate Somalia’s mobile money transactions alone are worth $32 billion annually—accounting for 36% of GDP. If we apply the same calculations seen in other informal based economies like in Kenya (44% of GDP from mobile money), Somalia’s real GDP is closer to $80–90 billion.

When i see the slander out there ,it really comes from the fact that most people are insecure losers in life and you have to imagine other Somalis and the country of Somalia to be in worse situation to feel better about your own situation. That's really what it boils down to. It's part of a defeatist and uninformed mindset that ignores real economic indicators and historical trends.

Somalia is anything but cursed , it's a highly dynamic, resilient, self-reliant, entrepeneurial nation.

 

[gasara]

It's not even hopium. Yall have to much grudge and deepseated hatred for the Somali collective, it borders on mental illness. I am sure some of you actually suffer from it, one of you admitted to it by saying you guys have manic episodes. If true hope yall get the help you need, but don't take the Kanye route.

I don't know which is more disturbing the intense grudge yall have or the fact that you spawn users larping as this clan or coming from this or that region of Somalia. Yall don't have the courage to be your own authentic selves & hide behind fake online personas and are just consumed with circle jerk resentment.

I mean this guy @geeljire49 pretended to be in Xamar and used to figures from 2014 to imply how expensive electricity is in Somalia, them not using affordable energy etc. When in reality the price of electricy has come down from 1.04 to 0.20USD in 2020-23 and people are actually using green energy in high numbers which by 2025 this year it will be 80% making Somalia not only one of the highest electricity rates in the continent but the first to rely on renewable energy for most of it's energy.

He really said "Nobody in Mogadishu uses it renewable energy" , as if they have a choice in not using it, they use the electricity the provider gives them.

This is just to show the level distrubing behaviour and larping yall actually surfer from. Waa maskax xanuun that drives yall to deny real time happenings.

The only one who actually remotely post about anything related to Somalis development, progress and growth and future prospects is me, it used to be @Three Moons but he left.

You can tell by the level of disinterest yall have is ridicilous, any improvement or development is like ''i don't want to hear it'', thats the energy and feedback i get.

Somalia’s Economy is Growing Faster Than Most African Nations

This is the reality:

- Somalia has a booming private sector driven by trade, real estate, logistics, telecom, and finance

- Foreign debt is near zero, unlike Ethiopia, Kenya, and other African nations.

- The Somali diaspora injects billions into the economy every year—remittances alone contribute ~$2.9 billion, acting as direct investment into businesses and development.

Official estimates put Somalia’s GDP at around $10–15 billion, but this is based on outdated and underreported data. World Bank/UN indicate Somalia’s mobile money transactions alone are worth $32 billion annually—accounting for 36% of GDP. If we apply the same calculations seen in other informal based economies like in Kenya (44% of GDP from mobile money), Somalia’s real GDP is closer to $80–90 billion.

When i see the slander out there ,it really comes from the fact that most people are insecure losers in life and you have to imagine other Somalis and the country of Somalia to be in worse situation to feel better better about your own situation. That's really what it boils down to. It's part of a defeatist and uninformed mindset that ignores real economic indicators and historical trends.

Somalia is anything but cursed , it's a highly dynamic, resilient, self-reliant, entrepeneurial nation.

They say Somalia is shit but why do we have Ajanaabis coming to our regions. Clearly we cant be far worse than their own countries. Somalia is improving each day whether these people care or not. Development doesn't happen overnight. We wont instantly be a first world country but we are working towards creating a better country.

 

[Idilinaa]

They say Somalia is shit but why do we have Ajanaabis coming to our regions. Clearly we cant be far worse than their own countries. Somalia is improving each day whether these people care or not. Development doesn't happen overnight. We wont instantly be a first world country but we are working towards creating a better country.

They say Somalia is the poorest but when you look at the videos of visitors and travelers, you don't see the level of desperation , scamming , fraud and theft that you witness in Egypt, Ethiopia, India or Nigeria that real poverty brings.

No street hagglers either trying to forcibly sell you anything. They just set up businesses and shops let people voluntarily come to it. No one follows you around either and don't even pay you much mind as you walk by them.

But with Somalia you can indicate it more by looking at Business activities in the country.


Video Walking through the busy the streets of Mogadishu.



Go to 5:50 minute mark

Comments from other Africans:

Video of a guy walking through the buzzling streets of Hargeisa:


Edit: Go to 7:51 minute mark

Comments from other Africans:

You can see it's just sprawling with malls, shopping stores, various diverse businesses of different types , vendors lining up the streets and its filled with a lot of activity.


You can also see it in the booming real estate market: You are seeing a lot of more high rise buildings and residential housing popping up , it's proof that there is growing wealth and middle class that demands it.

The last picture you posted with the guy over looking the skyline shows the construction boom that is happening.

Rayan Business center

Rayan Business Center – Buruuj Construction and Real Estate

Rayan Business Center

buruuj.so

Sunrise apartments.

Another thing that shows high business activity is that you see a lot of these advertisement posters lining up the streets in mogadishu. Even in the middle of the road.

You also don't see massive numbers of beggars and homeless lining up the streets and roads in Hargeisa and Mogadishu. Or overcrowded slums forming in the cities.

If you truly want to see a cursed country , you should go to Ethiopia, Addis Ababba , literally people live in open sewages, homelesness , they get kidnapped and extorted daily by the Ethiopian government because it is broke. Ethnic profiling, Constant electricity outages, widespread slums and gangs of beggar kids. Rising food prices due to inflation. No economic oppurtunities. Mentally ill people are abandoned onto the streets.

The reality that you can see with your own eyes, don't lie. Thats why a lot of Ethiopians migrate in droves to Puntland and Somaliland to escape it. It shows you the real economic situation in Somalia is much much better than what official numbers online show.

Somalia does not have mass Somali migrants fleeing to Ethiopia—Somalis are investing in their own country.

Whilst they are trying to tell you Ethiopia, who has people exiting in droves turning to begging, illegal labor, street crimes in Somalia is a ''rising economy''. A so-called "rising economy" does not export poverty—it creates jobs at home.

Even Kenyan and Ugandan cities don’t see this level of Ethiopian migration—they are flocking to Somalia because they see more economic opportunity there.

And Somalia is a high trust society as i explained to @Shimbiris , you can literally place your goods and lacag in the open without any worry of theft.

There is an American visitor that was even shocked at the fact that you can have an cash exchange out in the open with no guns or security with or any fear of theft when visiting Northern Somalia

"That speaks to the safety situation the fact that you can have all that money out with no guns, knives, security, police etc that's interesting"

 

[Idilinaa]

They say Somalia is the poorest but when you look at the videos of visitors and travelers, you don't see the level of desperation , scamming , fraud and theft that you witness in Egypt, Ethiopia, India or Nigeria that real poverty brings.

No street hagglers either trying to forcibly sell you anything. They just set up businesses and shops let people voluntarily come to it. No one follows you around either and don't even pay you much mind as you walk by them.


You also don't see massive numbers of beggars and homeless lining up the streets and roads in Hargeisa and Mogadishu. Or overcrowded slums forming in the cities.

If you truly want to see a cursed country , you should go to Ethiopia, Addis Ababba , literally people live in open sewages, homelesness , they get kidnapped and extorted daily by the Ethiopian government because it is broke. Ethnic profiling, Constant electricity outages, widespread slums and gangs of beggar kids. Rising food prices due to inflation. No economic oppurtunities. Mentally ill people are abandoned onto the streets.

The reality that you can see with your own eyes, don't lie. Thats why a lot of Ethiopians migrate in droves to Puntland and Somaliland to escape it. It shows you the real economic situation in Somalia is much much better than what official numbers online show.

Somalia does not have mass Somali migrants fleeing to Ethiopia—Somalis are investing in their own country.

Whilst they are trying to tell you Ethiopia, who has people exiting in droves turning to begging, illegal labor, street crimes in Somalia is a ''rising economy''. A so-called "rising economy" does not export poverty—it creates jobs at home.

Even Kenyan and Ugandan cities don’t see this level of Ethiopian migration—they are flocking to Somalia because they see more economic opportunity there.

And Somalia is a high trust society as i explained to @Shimbiris , you can literally place your goods and lacag in the open without any worry of theft.

Let me just TDLR this because it's structured a bit like a rant.

Summary:

Somalia is always ranked as one of the “poorest” countries by global institutions, yet on the ground, the economic reality is different.

Where are the mass beggars, homeless people, or extreme desperation that define real poverty?

Where are the crime waves targeting foreigners that happen in India, Nigeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia?

Reality: Somalia’s informal economy and self-reliance ensure basic economic participation for nearly everyone.

Reality: High entrepreneurship means most people are involved in some kind of trade, preventing mass poverty.

Reality: There is no major slum crisis in Mogadishu or Hargeisa—unlike in Addis Ababa, Cairo, Lagos, or Mumbai.

In many African and Asian countries, tourists get harassed by street vendors, scammers, and criminals.

Reality: In Somalia, people respect business transactions—shops operate normally without desperate hustling.

Reality: Money exchangers leave cash in the open without fear of theft—a sign of high social trust. High-trust economies are rare in Africa—this gives Somalia a unique economic advantage.

Reality: A country with mass poverty usually has mass crime, but Somalia does not.

Entrepreneurship, strong social bonds, and informal finance keep the economy functional.

 

[Idilinaa]

Let me just TDLR this because it's structured a bit like a rant.

Summary:

Somalia is always ranked as one of the “poorest” countries by global institutions, yet on the ground, the economic reality is different.

Where are the mass beggars, homeless people, or extreme desperation that define real poverty?

Where are the crime waves targeting foreigners that happen in India, Nigeria, Egypt, and Ethiopia?

Reality: Somalia’s informal economy and self-reliance ensure basic economic participation for nearly everyone.

Reality: High entrepreneurship means most people are involved in some kind of trade, preventing mass poverty.

Reality: There is no major slum crisis in Mogadishu or Hargeisa—unlike in Addis Ababa, Cairo, Lagos, or Mumbai.

In many African and Asian countries, tourists get harassed by street vendors, scammers, and criminals.

Reality: In Somalia, people respect business transactions—shops operate normally without desperate hustling.

Reality: Money exchangers leave cash in the open without fear of theft—a sign of high social trust. High-trust economies are rare in Africa—this gives Somalia a unique economic advantage.

Reality: A country with mass poverty usually has mass crime, but Somalia does not.

Entrepreneurship, strong social bonds, and informal finance keep the economy functional.

Another thing to point out. Countries with mass poverty have mass crime, Somalia does not follow this pattern.

While Somalia faces challenges like political instability and terrorism (Al-Shabaab), it does not experience the kind of mass street crime, gang violence, robbery and lawlessness seen in other poor countries.

- In many African and Latin American countries, poverty leads to high crime (robbery, gang violence, kidnappings).

- In Somalia, strong clan-based support systems reduce desperation-driven crime—people turn to family, clan, or community for help instead of resorting to theft.

- This prevents mass homelessness, slums, and urban crime seen in places like Nigeria, South Africa, or Brazil.

Somalis have a culture of social responsibility—people take care of their own.

Unlike countries with widespread petty crime (pickpocketing, muggings, scams),

-Somalis rely on trust-based business practices. Honor and reputation matter—in Somali society, being caught stealing can damage your status permanently.

This discourages casual crime, even among the poor.


Unlike heavily government-reliant economies, Somalia has a thriving private sector that gives people opportunities to make money.

- Self-employment and small businesses are widespread—many people survive through trade, rather than resorting to crime.

- In contrast, places like South Africa or Haiti have high unemployment, leading young people into crime.

When people have ways to make a living, they don’t need to steal.

Crime in Somalia is Political/Terror-Related, Not Street Crime​

Most crime in Somalia is linked to Al-Shabaab, political violence, or land disputes—not random street violence.

In many poor countries, tourists and foreigners are common robbery targets—in Somalia, the main risks are political instability, not street-level criminals.

Even the poorest parts of Mogadishu are safer than slums in South Africa, Brazil, or Kenya when it comes to violent robberies.

Somalia has violence, but it’s not the kind of crime linked to poverty-driven desperation.

 

[gasara]

They say Somalia is the poorest but when you look at the videos of visitors and travelers, you don't see the level of desperation , scamming , fraud and theft that you witness in Egypt, Ethiopia, India or Nigeria that real poverty brings.

No street hagglers either trying to forcibly sell you anything. They just set up businesses and shops let people voluntarily come to it. No one follows you around either and don't even pay you much mind as you walk by them.


You also don't see massive numbers of beggars and homeless lining up the streets and roads in Hargeisa and Mogadishu. Or overcrowded slums forming in the cities.

If you truly want to see a cursed country , you should go to Ethiopia, Addis Ababba , literally people live in open sewages, homelesness , they get kidnapped and extorted daily by the Ethiopian government because it is broke. Ethnic profiling, Constant electricity outages, widespread slums and gangs of beggar kids. Rising food prices due to inflation. No economic oppurtunities. Mentally ill people are abandoned onto the streets.

The reality that you can see with your own eyes, don't lie. Thats why a lot of Ethiopians migrate in droves to Puntland and Somaliland to escape it. It shows you the real economic situation in Somalia is much much better than what official numbers online show.

Somalia does not have mass Somali migrants fleeing to Ethiopia—Somalis are investing in their own country.

Whilst they are trying to tell you Ethiopia, who has people exiting in droves turning to begging, illegal labor, street crimes in Somalia is a ''rising economy''. A so-called "rising economy" does not export poverty—it creates jobs at home.

Even Kenyan and Ugandan cities don’t see this level of Ethiopian migration—they are flocking to Somalia because they see more economic opportunity there.

And Somalia is a high trust society as i explained to @Shimbiris , you can literally place your goods and lacag in the open without any worry of theft.

Wow you just unlocked some memories for me. I remember going to Addis Ababa and we had people begging us. They were banging on the car while we were driving. But the most saddest part I remember was when I was in the Somali region you would see droves of poor Oromos coming to our cities. And they would bang at your doors and beg. Or I would go to the market place and pregnant women with their kids were starving and begging you for food. Just thinking about seeing those starving looks of hunger and desperation was saddening. It makes you sit and question how bad it had to be in Oromia or their other regions for them to come to the Somali region.

 

[Idilinaa]

Wow you just unlocked some memories for me. I remember going to Addis Ababa and we had people begging us. They were banging on the car while we were driving. But the most saddest part I remember was when I was in the Somali region you would see droves of poor Oromos coming to our cities. And they would bang at your doors and beg. Or I would go to the market place and pregnant women with their kids were starving and begging you for food. Just thinking about seeing those starving looks of hunger and desperation was saddening. It makes you sit and question how bad it had to be in Oromia or their other regions for them to come to the Somali region.

I am not pointing out the poverty in Ethiopia to mock or belittle them, but to show what real poverty looks like. Nothing like that happens on that scale in Somali regions.

Life is really really bad in Ethiopia.

You can see similar stuff happen in Nigeria as well, beggars, scams etc

You saw an Indian travel vlogger recently, visited Hargeisa it was totally opposite reality compared to what she was met with in Nigeria.

LOL, Indian girl dunks on Nigeria after her stay

Heck even Egypt because of the level of poverty, people face beggars, scams and harrasment in the same way.

 

[Devilsadvocate]

It's not even hopium. Yall have to much grudge and deepseated hatred for the Somali collective, it borders on mental illness. I am sure some of you actually suffer from it, one of you admitted to it by saying you guys have manic episodes. If true hope yall get the help you need, but don't take the Kanye route.

I don't know which is more disturbing the intense grudge yall have or the fact that you spawn users larping as this clan or coming from this or that region of Somalia. Yall don't have the courage to be your own authentic selves & hide behind fake online personas and are just consumed with circle jerk resentment.

I mean this guy @geeljre49 pretended to be in Xamar and used to figures from 2014 to imply how expensive electricity is in Somalia, them not using affordable energy etc. When in reality the price of electricy has come down from 1.04 to 0.20USD in 2020-23 and people are actually using green energy in high numbers which by 2025 this year it will be 80% making Somalia not only one of the highest electricity rates in the continent but the first to rely on renewable energy for most of it's energy.

He really said "Nobody in Mogadishu uses it renewable energy" , as if they have a choice in not using it, they use the electricity the provider gives them.

This is just to show the level distrubing behaviour and larping yall actually surfer from. Waa maskax xanuun that drives yall to deny real time happenings.

The only one who actually remotely post about anything related to Somalis development, progress and growth and future prospects is me, it used to be @Three Moons but he left.

You can tell by the level of disinterest yall have is ridicilous, any improvement or development is like ''i don't want to hear it'', thats the energy and feedback i get.

Somalia’s Economy is Growing Faster Than Most African Nations

This is the reality:

- Somalia has a booming private sector driven by trade, real estate, logistics, telecom, and finance

- Foreign debt is near zero, unlike Ethiopia, Kenya, and other African nations.

- The Somali diaspora injects billions into the economy every year—remittances alone contribute ~$2.9 billion, acting as direct investment into businesses and development.

Official estimates put Somalia’s GDP at around $10–15 billion, but this is based on outdated and underreported data. World Bank/UN indicate Somalia’s mobile money transactions alone are worth $32 billion annually—accounting for 36% of GDP. If we apply the same calculations seen in other informal based economies like in Kenya (44% of GDP from mobile money), Somalia’s real GDP is closer to $80–90 billion.

When i see the slander out there ,it really comes from the fact that most people are insecure losers in life and you have to imagine other Somalis and the country of Somalia to be in worse situation to feel better about your own situation. That's really what it boils down to. It's part of a defeatist and uninformed mindset that ignores real economic indicators and historical trends.

Somalia is anything but cursed , it's a highly dynamic, resilient, self-reliant, entrepeneurial nation.

Keep it up. I enjoy your posts about Somalia's development, and I appreciate how you always use sources so people can’t downplay your words. I admit that I can be guilty of complaining and being negative at times, but I recognise the significant progress our country makes each year. When we compare our economic situation to the late 90s and early 2000s, the improvement and resilience are undeniable. I also feel that more people should visit back home frequently. The difference between any Somali city from the early to mid-2000s and now is truly impressive. All that’s missing is stability and competent governance. Once those two factors are in place, I have no doubt our country will develop even faster.