Dr. Abdirahman Duale Beileh is a Somali economist, professor, politician, philanthropist, poet, and well acclaimed song writer. In August 2022, Dr. Beileh finished his term as Somalia’s Minister of Finance, having served for the past five years. Previously, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from 2014 to 2015. Dr. Beileh has been a driving force behind the reestablishment of the Somali state, and the country’s return to the international scene. We start our conversation with memories from Dr. Beileh’s childhood home outside the city of Hargeisa. An opportunity to study and work abroad in the United Arab Emirates and the United States drove him to question the situation in his native Somalia, eventually leading him to pursue a 30-year career at the African Development Bank (AfDB). We then discuss Somalia’s transition from a failed state to one where elections and a peaceful transition of power recently took place. We explore what went right and the remaining challenges for the future. Dr. Beileh shares his experience of working with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and other partners on issues such as debt relief and the process of building from scratch an international coalition to support Somalia. He passionately talks about the challenges of instilling a “tax-payer mentality” in a country where most people only experience of taxation as extortion by the violent extremist group Al-Shabaab, as well as the urgent need to finance the security sector. He further shares his experience of collaborating with the finance ministers of Somalia’s Federal Member States (FMS) and outlines his approach to building trust with citizens, federal member state governments, and international partners. And his toolkit is wide-ranging, from transparent communication to music and poetry. Finally, Dr. Beileh sets out a compelling 10-year vision for a Somalia: a country that is self-sufficient in food production, where the link between floods and famine is broken through good governance, and where young people can earn a quality education and pursue their dreams.
Dr. Abdirahman Duale Beileh is a Somali economist, professor, politician, philanthropist, poet, and well acclaimed song writer. In August 2022, Dr. Beileh finished his term as Somalia’s Minister of Finance, having served for the past five years. Previously, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from 2014 to 2015. Dr. Beileh has been a driving force behind the reestablishment of the Somali state, and the country’s return to the international scene.
We start our conversation with memories from Dr. Beileh’s childhood home outside the city of Hargeisa. An opportunity to study and work abroad in the United Arab Emirates and the United States drove him to question the situation in his native Somalia, eventually leading him to pursue a 30-year career at the African Development Bank (AfDB). We then discuss Somalia’s transition from a failed state to one where elections and a peaceful transition of power recently took place. We explore what went right and the remaining challenges for the future. Dr. Beileh shares his experience of working with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and other partners on issues such as debt relief and the process of building from scratch an international coalition to support Somalia. He passionately talks about the challenges of instilling a “tax-payer mentality” in a country where most people only experience of taxation as extortion by the violent extremist group Al-Shabaab, as well as the urgent need to finance the security sector. He further shares his experience of collaborating with the finance ministers of Somalia’s Federal Member States (FMS) and outlines his approach to building trust with citizens, federal member state governments, and international partners. And his toolkit is wide-ranging, from transparent communication to music and poetry. Finally, Dr. Beileh sets out a compelling 10-year vision for a Somalia: a country that is self-sufficient in food production, where the link between floods and famine is broken through good governance, and where young people can earn a quality education and pursue their dreams.
Mihaela Carstei, Paul M. Bisca, and Johan Bjurman Bergman co-host F-World: The Fragility Podcast.
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Music: "Tornado" by Wintergatan . Many thanks to Wintergartan for allowing us to use their wonderful music! This track can be downloaded for free at www.wintergatan.net.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Songs by Minister Beileh
International Monetary Fund (2022) “IMF Executive Board Completes the Second and Third Reviews of the Extended Credit Facility for Somalia”, IMF, Washington https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2022/06/20/pr22215-somalia-imf-executive-board-completes-second-and-third-reviews-of-ecf
Raballand, G. and J. Knebelman (2021) “Domestic Resource Mobilisation in Somalia”, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/121391596804622057/pdf/Domestic-Resource-Mobilization-in-Somalia.pdf
Abshir, S. et al. (2020) “Tax and the State in Somalia”, Rift Valley Institute Briefing Paper, Rift Valley Institute 2020. https://riftvalley.net/sites/default/files/publication-documents/Tax%20and%20the%20State%20in%20Somalia%20by%20Sagal%20Abshir%2C%20Khalif%20Abdirahman%20and%20Hannah%20Stogdon%20-%20RVI%20%282020%29.pdf
World Bank. (2017). “Somalia - Security and Justice Sector Public Expenditure Review” World Bank Group, Washington, D.C. : http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/644671486531571103/Somalia-Security-and-justice-sector-public-expenditure-review
Hiraal Institute (2020), “A Losing Game: Countering Al-Shabab’s Financial System”, Hiraal Institute, Mogadishu, Somalia. https://hiraalinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/A-Losing-Game.pdf
Keating, M., Abshir, S., (2018), “The Politics of Security in Somalia” NYU Center on International Cooperation, New York. https://cic.nyu.edu/publications/politics-security-somalia
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), (2022) “Somalia Updated IPC and Famine Risk Analysis Technical Release 4th June 2022”, IPC, Nairobi. https://fsnau.org/downloads/Somalia-Updated-IPC-and-Famine-Risk-Analysis-Technical-Release-4-Jun-2022.pdf
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) https://igad.int
Horn of Africa Initiative https://hoainitiative.org
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:41 Growing up in Somalia and early travels shaping the man
00:09:36 Somalia’s transition – success and challenges
00:15:54 Being Minister of Finance in Somalia – Prioritizing spending and raising revenue
00:22:00 Transparency and managing compounding crises
00:30:26 Financing security sector reform (SSR)
00:35:25 Collaboration between the federal government and the member states of Somalia
00:42:32 The State vs. Al Shabaab – governance in competition with violent extremism
00:48:46 Exiting fragility – can Somalia find a path?
00:51:57 Work-ethic and Dr. Beileh’s approach to fragility
00:58:46 Values & culture – fostering the right approach to economic growth
01:03:41 Regional collaboration in the Horn of Africa
01:09:04 Working with international institutions – from blind-spots to trust
01:12:58 Oil & gas in Somalia - avoiding the resource curse
01:16:44 A vision for Somalia in 10 years
01:23:51 Wrap-up