Enterprise without capital, and capital without a path home.
Somalis are traders by history and by temperament, and the region is more integrated into regional markets than any other Ethiopian lowland. Yet almost all of that commerce is small, informal and self-financed. Formal, interest-free finance consistent with the community’s values arrived in Jigjiga only in the last few years, a welcome development that has not yet reached far beyond the towns. Youth unemployment runs near one in five, and close to one in five young women are jobless.
Our role in economic empowerment.
Somalis are traders by history and temperament. What the region lacks is not enterprise but the capital, skills and institutions that let a small business become a durable one. SEED backs the businesses that can employ people at scale and add value to what the region produces, and does so in ways consistent with the values of the community. We work with the region’s interest-free banks, its chambers of commerce and its government to widen the path from trader to employer.
Technology and AI
Technology that can read the informal economy lets a trader with no paperwork be understood, trusted and financed, so that capital reaches the enterprises that create jobs rather than only those that can produce a balance sheet.
Research and publishing
We study what works in economic empowerment in the Somali Region, evaluate our own work independently, and publish the findings openly for the public and for regional and federal government. About our research →
Somali-owned enterprises that employ people at scale and keep value in the region.