What the study found
The study finds that telecommunications companies in Mogadishu now play a central role in urban speculation, beyond their traditional communications work. The authors describe these companies as helping shape both the ideas and the material development of new urban land projects, especially Darul Salaam, a new city for diaspora and local elites.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors suggest that telecoms are doing both market-making and world-making, meaning they are helping create the conditions and visions for new urban development. They also conclude that their role in Mogadishu shows why telecoms across Africa deserve closer empirical and conceptual attention in urban processes.
What the researchers tested
The researchers examined the role of telecom companies in urban land development in Mogadishu during a period of state rebuilding after the collapse of the Somali state in the 1990s. They focused on Hormuud Telecommunications Company and affiliated companies involved in financing, construction, technical training, electricity provision, and transnational money transfer.
What worked and what didn't
The paper says telecoms are involved in generating imaginaries for the city's future and also take material and laborious steps to produce those futures. This is presented as especially visible in Darul Salaam, where diaspora capital is being enrolled into urban development. The abstract does not describe what did not work.
What to keep in mind
The article focuses on Somalia and specifically on Mogadishu, so its findings are tied to that context. The abstract does not give detailed limitations beyond noting that the wider relevance of telecoms in African cities needs further empirical and conceptual engagement.
Key points
- Telecom companies are described as central actors in urban speculation in Mogadishu.
- Hormuud and affiliated firms are linked to financing, construction, training, electricity, and money transfer.
- The new city Darul Salaam is presented as a key example of these developments.
- The authors describe telecoms as doing both market-making and world-making.
- The abstract says telecoms across Africa are growing in wealth and scope.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Telecom companies shape urban land speculation in Mogadishu
- Authors:
- Liza Rose Cirolia, Abdifatah Ismael Tahir, Tom Goodfellow, Abdullahi Ali Hassan
- Institutions:
- Box Hill Institute, Mogadishu University, University of Cape Town, University of Manchester, University of Oxford, University of Somalia
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-27
- OpenAlex record:
- View
- Image credit:
- Omar Gadood, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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