AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Somalia’s elegant colonial villas were left in ruins by two decades of street fighting among warlords, and the seaside capital Mogadishu was dubbed the most dangerous city in the world.
But now new housing estates are being built amid an economic boom as Somalis return from abroad and newly wealthy businessmen capitalize on the relative peace in the city. Seven kilometers outside Mogadishu in a formerly rural area, new homes are springing up, with almost 50 houses now ready on an estate, builders say.
Mohamed Abdullahi Ali of Salaam Somali Bank said it was a “great honor” to back the estimated $20 million project. Construction began in early 2015, and the project was touted as offering commercial returns and helping rebuild the nation.
“It is a new neighborhood for all Somalis to buy affordable homes, by leaving the densely populated neighborhoods of Mogadishu, and to come and stay with families here,” Ali said.
“According to our plan, we are going to build 500 homes that can cover the residential needs for 500 families in the first stage, and then we will construct more houses.”
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