Advancing digitalization in Somalia: The Role of AI in Driving Progress

Somalia has made significant strides towards digitalization in recent years, with the government and private sector working towards improving services in various sectors. One of the key drivers of this progress is the adoption and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. In this blog post, we will explore the developments in AI in Somalia and the potential for further advancement.

E-Government

The Somali government has been implementing digital transformation in various areas of governance, including the launch of an e-government portal in 2017. This portal allows citizens to access government services online, improving efficiency, and transparency. The government has also been exploring the use of AI in enhancing citizen services, such as chatbots for automated customer support. Unfortunately, digital transformation in the government has not developed much since. One of the biggest challenges to implementing and using AI in Somalia is the lack of technical expertise.

Mobile Money

Somalia is among the world’s leaders in mobile money adoption, with over 70% of adults using mobile money services. This has revolutionized financial inclusion in the country, particularly in remote and under-banked areas. The use of AI in mobile money is a promising area for further development, including fraud detection, risk assessment, and customer personalization.

Education

In 2018 Somalia launched its first-ever e-learning platform, Somali Education Cloud, aimed at improving access to educational resources for students and teachers across the country, including conflict-affected areas. AI can enhance this platform by providing personalized learning experiences, intelligent feedback, and adaptive learning.

Health

The Somali government and private sector organizations have been leveraging technology to enhance healthcare delivery, including telemedicine services for remote consultations and diagnoses in areas with limited access to healthcare services. The use of AI in health tech can help with early disease detection, precision medicine, and patient monitoring, among others.

Challenges and the Way Forward

Despite the advancements, Somalia faces several challenges in advancing digitalization, including inadequate infrastructure and limited resources. However, the potential benefits of AI and other digital technologies are immense, and with a concerted effort from stakeholders, the country can leverage these tools to drive progress and improve the quality of life for its citizens.

Somalia’s progress towards digitalization has been significant, with the adoption and use of AI technologies being a key driver. While there are challenges, the potential for further advancement is immense. With a commitment from stakeholders in the public and private sectors, Somalia can harness the power of AI to drive progress and improve the lives of its citizens.

Also READ: Are African governments ready for Artificial Intelligence?

Photo: IOM Somalia/Tobin Jonesd

What Role Does Data Mining Play for Business Intelligence (BI) in Somalia? Interview with Mohamed Ibrahim Former Minister of Post and Telecommunication of Somalia.

The objective of the interview is to gain an understanding of data mining. We live in the age of massive data production. If you think about it – practically every gadget or service we are using creates a lot of information. Data Mining can be used in many different sectors of business to both predict and discover trends. It is a proactive solution for businesses looking to gain a competitive edge. In the past, we were only able to analyze what a company’s customers or clients had done, but now, with the help of Data Mining, we can predict what customers will do.

Data mining is any activity that involves gathering data in one place in some structure. For example, putting together an Excel Spreadsheet or summarizing the main points of some text. Data mining is all about processing data and extracting valuable and relevant insights out of it.

Data mining can help spot sales trends, develop smarter marketing campaigns, and accurately predict customer loyalty.

Data mining is applied in various industries from telecom and retail solutions to marketing, manufacturing, and health care. Standard applications include customer profiling, customer purchasing patterns, fraud detection, churn management, and credit scoring.

Barriers to data mining in Somalia

1. Despite these examples, data mining has not entered the corporate mainstream in Somalia. Data mining as a part of business intelligence is not known in Somalia. What are the reasons for this and what are the barriers to data mining in Somalia?

Thanks for the opportunity to share my thoughts on Data Mining and Business Intelligence with the Somali ICT community. Well, where to start? I have not been to Somalia lately and to be honest, I do not follow what is going there very closely, so my comments might be very general and more global than local.

Corporate mainstream in Somalia? This is a very interesting phrase, and will not dwell on it. However, for those who are interested in corporations… here is a video I would recommend: The Corporation – Documentary – YouTube. I do not think we have a corporate culture in the Somali business environment.

Technological business solutions, in general, are not used in Somalia to advance businesses or even to manage them,  for a variety of reasons. I could mention the education level of our business people is a major reason for this. Historically our business people were traders, they were and are still good at trading; buying and selling a commodity, stuff such as goods for home use, foodstuff, etc. We do not have corporate culture as such. This is not a deliberate negative comment regarding our business people. But rather an honest observation. We moved from selling animals and crops, etc. among ourselves to traveling into the Arabian Gulf; exporting goats and importing clothes and shoes, etc. So this is the reality of our business foundation.

In a nutshell, the business model was: From that basic trade to a few Yemeni shopkeepers in Hamarweyne importing the same basic stuff and the Somali shopkeepers buying them and reselling them in other parts of the country. This has been the case until the collapse of the government, 1990.

After the collapse of the Somali government, a new kind of entrepreneur modified the old business model into a slightly more complicated method, taking advantage of the absence of rule of law and government taxes, etc. In this era, some technological solutions appeared, but in a chaotic way that seems to exist up to today.

With that brief(est) overview, let me share my views on  Business Intelligence.

In Somalia, there was no immediate need or requirement for Business intelligence (BI)

as a data-driven  Decision Support System (DSS) that combines data gathering, data storage, and knowledge management with analysis to provide input to the decision-making processes of businesses. Why? because the level of education was not there, nor was there an immediate need for this. The market system in Somalia is very distorted. It is what some call the ‘sellers’ market, in Somalia, there is more demand for goods than supply, therefore, there is no urgent requirement or serious competition to force business people to find ways to capture a bigger segment of the market, lower prices, etc.

So this might be the reason for the lack of interest in BI in Somalia. Why bother to invest in a technical solution if your business horizon is limited or have not to grow big or expand your business? The ambition is not there. However, that does not mean this will not change in the near future as more and more Somalis from the diaspora move back home to do business.

The term  BI originated decades ago, before that many of its characteristics were part of what the then IT industry used to call the executive information systems. To be fair to our business people in Somalia, Business intelligence really emphasizes analysis of large volumes of data about the business entities and their operations, which require an investment in IT infrastructure. This might not exist in the Somalia of today. Business intelligence uses a large database, typically stored in a data warehouse or data mart, as its source of information and as the basis for sophisticated analysis. This might not exist at the moment, but that does not mean our business people should not start developing this. For example, they can start with analyzing ranges from simple reporting to slice-and-dice, drill down, answering ad hoc queries, real-time analysis, and forecasting.

There are entry-level solutions available in the market suitable for Somali businesses. They should contact IT solution vendors, or engage the Somali tech community in the diaspora to acquire or develop analysis tools, starting with basic but most useful dashboards. From here they might like to acquire or get it developed for them, BI modules which include business performance measurement (BPM), business activity monitoring (BAM), and later on expand this from being a staff tool to being used by people throughout the organization (BI for the masses) making BI techniques and findings embedded into business processes.

Data Mining is a very specialized field within the ICT sector. It is the discovery of interesting, unexpected, or valuable structures in large datasets. However, to do data mining the businesses must first have a large amount of data to work on, i.e. mine, analyze, investigate, etc. It is the process of analyzing massive volumes of data to discover BI that helps companies solve problems, mitigate risks, and seize new opportunities. This branch of data science derives its name from the similarities between searching for valuable information in a large database and mining a mountain for ore. Both processes require sifting through tremendous amounts of material to find hidden value.

It is an interesting field as many know solutions work on well-established models and in some cases outcomes can be anticipated. What makes data mining interesting is its discovery journey, it is looking for links and associations that are not necessarily obvious to decision-makers, analysts, and sometimes even for highly technical people. There are many well-known techniques used and it is a fast-expanding field which takes advantage of the increased computing power, graphical and visualization platforms.

So what are the barriers? In Somalia, as I have said many times in the past, our major challenge was and still remains to be a lack of education. Period. Enhancing the quality of education in Somalia is the first important and urgent step necessary not only to expand business opportunities but also to build functioning government institutions.

2. Data mining success may be hampered by both technical and non-technical barriers. The success of data mining projects depends as much on business knowledge as on technological knowledge. Knowing your target audience is at the center of any business operation. Data mining brings customer segmentation to a completely new level of accuracy and efficiency. What should be the basic knowledge to get into data mining for Somali businesses?

Basic education in IT, I mean the bits and bytes level is a good start. This is step one. The ICT industry is fast-moving and it is always accelerating towards introducing more sophisticated systems, and yet at affordable prices ins some sectors.  Many in Somalia use the latest smartphones, Ipads, or other basic home or office PCs. However, there are many levels of using any technical gadget or software. BI and Data mining are more sophisticated tools that require a higher level of understanding, not just the use of computers but a lot more than that.  Basic knowledge might be understanding the value of data and collecting, manipulating, and understanding what the data is telling you. They say data is the new oil…and I believe so. Knowing the value of data and the need to acquire it carefully and appreciating its value is a prerequisite in using Data Mining applications.

Some points for successful delivery

3. In general, we have seen data is of poor quality and used minimally if at all in Somalia. To resolve the problems of poor data quality Data mining requires skills not typically found in IT departments and data warehouses. You need the skills of a machine learning expert, a data scientist, and a business analyst to frame the problem in a way that makes sense. For this reason, cross-functional teams should interact closely with the business units to carry out data mining. Do you have other points for successful delivery?

There are a lot of useful terminologies here… poor data quality? As I have said earlier, it is important to capture the data that is required for the business one is engaged in, not just any data. You can only work with whatever data you have captured, you can’t make it up. So data quality is very important. So how do we ensure capturing good data? The answer is identifying the issue we are dealing with, ‘the what’ part of the problem and then solving ‘the why?’ part… this might sound or look so obvious- BUT a lot of projects as they say fail at the beginning not at the completion phase. What are we looking for and why? What data do we need to find a solution for what problem? 

This is all very easy to say or write, BUT universities existed for thousands of years and are busy today solving some of the basic and (not so basic anymore) problems that humanity faced since time immemorial… we are getting there, and all these new skills Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and what keeps data scientist and business analyst busy are all part of the big picture problems we are trying to solve.

Data mining can answer business questions that traditionally were too time-consuming to resolve manually. We used to rely on using a range of statistical techniques to analyze data in different ways, users can identify patterns, trends, and relationships they might otherwise miss. They can apply these findings to predict what is likely to happen in the future and take action to influence business outcomes.

It is fair to say that we have come a long way in the use of ICT solutions. Businesses are now harnessing data mining and machine learning to improve everything from their sales processes to interpreting financials for investment purposes. As a result, data scientists have become vital to organizations all over the world as companies seek to achieve bigger goals with data science than ever before.

Direct improvements resulting from data mining implementation

4. A Direct improvement resulting from data mining implementation is improved sales leads, higher growth, and increased turnover in certain business areas. Is this true for Somalia?

This is true in many developed countries. However, this is not necessarily true in Somalia at this stage. However, there is no reason we should not change soon. Evidence from elsewhere around the world has shown Data mining and Artificial Intelligence have led to improved sales, more efficient processes, and other positive outcomes in different sectors of the market.

When used correctly, data mining can provide a profound advantage over competitors by enabling you to learn more about customers, develop effective marketing strategies, increase revenue, and decrease costs.

We must keep in mind that Data mining isn’t a new invention that came with the digital age. The concept has been around for over a century but came into greater public focus in the 1930s. Therefore new tools, techniques, and methodologies may appear soon, quantum computing is just one field I will mention to get our schools and universities to get excited about… 

5. Can you give examples of Specific strategies resulting from data mining outputs?

There are a lot of case studies from around the world and any university student can find the necessary literature on this topic. However, I would like to mention that it is not only for trade and business reasons only, but Data mining can also be used for security and other projects that deal with fighting crime such as anti-money laundering and terrorism funding.

6. Can you give Somali businesses Practical recommendations in gaining experience with data mining?

First collect data, a lot of data. But make sure you inform people what data you are collecting and for what purpose. It is important and the right thing to do to get the consent of the people whose data is collected. Secure it, clean it, then buy or develop the necessary tools to study or mine the data. One must also be careful and must have other ways of checking and verifying the outcomes of data mining exercises.

Data mining was used to monitor actual or potential terrorists in Somalia which attracted media attention. The problem is that the media is more inclined to demonize any technology they don’t understand rather than try to explain.

Those who studied math, statistics, or business in college know the power of data mining because it has become a very popular business tool. In Somalia, for example, Data Mining’s predictive analysis capabilities were used what was called PARS (Piracy Attack Risk Surface), a statistical model of pirate behavior as modified by weather, shipping traffic patterns, and whatever inexplicable things the pirates have been doing lately. This showed the anti-piracy task force which areas to watch most carefully and warned merchant ships what areas they should be most alert in. As a result, pirate attacks dropped from a peak of 181 in 2009 to almost zero recently.  

7. Exploiting new ICT technologies the exchange of information and knowledge serves as the basis for economic growth, employment, and the creation of wealth. The Information Society is also playing an increasingly significant role in promoting sustainable development and a healthy environment. As a former Minister of Post and Telecommunication, what advice do you have for the ICT revolution in Somalia?

Here is a speech I gave many years ago, and I feel this has stood the test of time.

https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-T/Workshops-and-Seminars/ifds/Documents/KeynoteSpeech-Mohamed-Ibrahim-V3.pdf .

https://tinyurl.com/qoxwu8m

As large-scale data processing technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence become more readily accessible, it is now possible to dig through terabytes of data in minutes or hours, rather than days or weeks, helping them innovate and grow faster. Therefore, my advice is to encourage Somali business people to invest seriously in robust IT infrastructure, providing reliable technical education, and upskilling the government employees. This will advance the ICT revolution in Somalia and lead to a better-performing economy and properly functioning government institutions.

Also READ: Make the Internet Your AI University

Make the Internet Your AI University and Be a Changemaker

Munira left Somalia because of violence but rather than losing her hope she has a big vision.

In one event, an electronics shop close to her university was completely destroyed a few minutes after she left her laptop for repairment.

This of one of many events that did not stop Munira from following her vision to improve her skills, empower other women in STEM, and use technologies such as Machine Learning to solve problems in her country and beyond.

I want to solve community problems like droughts and also improve many industries in my country using Deep Learning and Computer Vision in the near future.

Munira works among 40 other Collaborators in our AI for Good challenge with the UN Refugee Agency to predict forced displacement and climate change in Somalia. Read on your own what extraordinary mindset she has.

Munira, what is your background?

I am a Somali girl from Mogadishu living in Nairobi. I have completed my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Application from one of Somalia’s top universities in Technology in September 2017. In March 2018, I landed an internship as a software developer where I realized what I knew was only basic coding.

But before I could properly learn the skills required for a software developer, my family decided to move to Nairobi.

Why are you interested in AI and Data Science?

As Andrew Ng says, “AI is the new electricity”.

One of the things I want to do with AI is to use its power and make deaf people feel they are not disabled. I want them to communicate with their friends and families through video calls freely. The camera will be tracking the sign languages and translate it.

And hailing from Somalia, a country which is so behind from the world when it comes to Artificial Intelligence gives me the courage to pursue even more.

What is the most important life lesson that you’ve learned?

I lived in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, where most of the bombings happen and if it was not for the violent conflicts I think I would have never left home. When you see how my fellow Somalis are living their lives to the fullest, you will think that there is peace in Somalia.

The most important lesson I have learned is that there is always a grand plan in the background happening beyond our sight even though the process might be hard or painful. I had been unemployed for the past year leaving my dream job back at home but I am so so grateful for this year of experience.
Not only have I found what I really want to do in life ,I have also made the internet my university and took full advantage of the jobless year to learn the most needed skills in 2019.

What is your vision for the next couple of years?

Make my way to big tech companies like Google and Facebook to gain some experience. I am also so passionate about getting more girls and women into tech. I wanna teach moms how to code while they are at home at looking after their families and create a space where we women in STEM are inspired and say to each other “I have been there and I am here to help you”. I also wanna keep writing and share the little knowledge I have through blogging.

If you could share one thing with individuals who are in a similar situation then you were in Somalia, what would you tell them?

You don’t have to go to universities abroad to pursue your dreams, everything now is on the internet. The best universities are now offering their courses online on websites like Edx and Coursera.
Just because your country is behind when it comes to some the technologies like AI does not mean you too should be behind.

Source: Michael Burkhardt

Also READ: [Interview] Hass Petroleum CEO M.Salat: “Africa is the land of opportunities”

Hass Petroleum Group is an Oil Marketing Company initially incorporated as a family business in 1997 by two brothers Abdinasir & the late Abdirizak. The group has since transformed into a multinational organization with a significant presence in East Africa, the Horn of Africa, Southern Africa and the Great Lakes region. 

The group has established wide and strategic fuel distribution infrastructure across the region, covering Kenya, Uganda, S Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, DR Congo, Zambia, Somalia, Somaliland and UAE. Its product range consists of all white oils, namely: Diesel, Gasoline, Jet A1, Kerosene, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and its own brand of lubricants, blended to world-class standards.

In this episode, we spoke with Mohamud Salat, Group CEO of Hass Petroleum.

The following is a condensed version of the full video interview.

What is your professional and educational background? Can you tell us more about your current situation?

I was born and raised in the Northern part of Kenya. That’s where I did my basic education and High school. I later pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics and masters in economic policy analysis from the University of Nairobi. I´m also a Chartered Accountant CPA (K). In 2008, upon completion of my degree I joined KPMG one of the international audit firms. That’s where I’ve got my first training in financial audit and risk management for about 6 years. My tenure with KPMG is where I honestly gained immense exposure in wide range of sectors from the financial institution to manufacturing industries to public sector. My last two years with KPMG I focused on the public sector – the audit and advisory of government and NGO’s.

In 2013 is when I joined Hass Petroleum as the head of internal audit, a position I served for about 2.5 years and later transitioned to become the CFO. CFO role gave me the opportunity to make things happen compared to my initial audit role that is normally advisory. During that period, we have turned around our business model. The group finance and bookkeeping function was centralized under one team called shared service, we adopted cutting edge accounting system and built exceptional team. Alhamdulillah, last year I was offered an opportunity to lead the team as the CEO of the group – one I have gladly embraced. 

Can you tell us about Hass Petroleum and your regional reach, specifically Somalia?

First Let me state one of the many reasons I am passionate about Hass group and my role as the CEO is what Hass means to the Muslim communities at large and to the Somali Community to be specific. The group is by far one of the biggest employers, its committed to the communities in the countries we operate and through our hass foundation give back to most vulnerable. All above despite barely being 2 decade old! Hass Foundation today manage and operate several orphanages and children’s homes, cater for utility bills for far fledged mosques.

The group employ over 1,500 employees, is critical contributor to taxes in the region we operate and partner with several small traders in building their capacities and business acumen.

Somalia specifically is close to our heart, as part of our contribution to the nation rebuilding, we have extended our exceptional services and investment in infrastructure in most major towns from Hargeisa, Berbera, Burco, Las Anod, Bosaso, Garowe, Galkacayo to the heart of Mogadishu. You should be able to drive across with less worry on fueling stations across!

Your mission is to be the region’s premier provider of high-quality petroleum products through innovation. Can you tell us more about this?

The reality today is there is a lot of evolution happening in the technological aspect of every business/sector and only those who adopt and appreciate will have the edge. I can’t compare ourself with what’s happening in the West today. We are still building a typical petrol station using fossil fuel. We know where the world is heading and we appreciate it. But we are cognizant of the disruption of say electric vehicle to our sector and we are more than ready to adopt in time. 

We endeavor to be the first one in innovation. In Somalia, we have introduced composite LPG gas cylinders. This makes usage and handling of the cylinders much safer compared to the regular steel containers which our competitors in the market are still using. In its own right, the composite cylinders is an innovation we adopted in most of our market of operation and it paid off. My role as the CEO is therefore to be ahead of the pack and ensure our clients enjoy many first when they walk to our premises.

Sustainability is essential to the longevity of a big company such as Has Petroleum and your role as a member of society. What does sustainability mean at Hass Petroleum?

There is one thing in the back of our head that we don’t want to lose, the identity that we are Somali. 

For us to be sustainable then you must have a Somali society that is stronger, empowering that community is a top-notch priority. Having our group shared service operate out of Hargeisa is a confirmation of commitment to Somalia – we had fresh university graduate work alongside our best of brains, the creme de la creme of the company. We vision Hass being an employer of choice in all our markets of operations. To achieve this, we work closely with the institutions in Somalia in training and providing skills necessary for the student to excel in the job market.

Whatever we do in our business we always want to influence the society where we work. Pass the knowledge to the next generation. We also very much appreciate Environmental sustainability. To do so we work with the local governments and communities in attaining environmental sustainability.

We, therefore, believe as a company we build on our own sustainability by having an empowered community, well-trained staff, and the best environment around us. 

The world’s energy system is going through a transition. Access to reliable, affordable, and clean energy resources is a key priority. Is Hass Petroleum thinking of new energy business opportunities and new ways to connect customers to energy?

I agree the energy sector is going through a transition. Unfortunately, we cannot run faster than the economies where we operate. It might take a while before I see the first electrical car driven in Nairobi or even Hargeisa. At Hass Petroleum it’s a conversation we always have, how we can transition ourselves. The partnership with the Oman government through their biggest oil company allows us the opportunity to see what is happening in those kinds of markets. We are seeing a petrol station having a mix with elements of charging ports for electrical cars and so on. 

We are ready and aware of the evolution we just don’t want to run ahead of our economies. We want to wait when the economies and people embraced these technologies. And Hass we will definitely embrace this.

From machine learning to computer vision, deep learning to virtual assistants, and autonomous vehicles to robotics, There is a range of technologies that have supported advances in AI. Businesses that harness new data sources and use AI and machine-learning technology to provide insights will be in a strong position to shape future commercial development and influence how society changes. Many of the algorithms behind AI and machine-learning systems are not new but limited volumes of accessible data have hampered their application. The recent explosion in data volumes and availability has led to a step-change in the training of algorithms and provided important new insights. Easy access to vast data volumes is making AI algorithms smarter. Can you give us examples of AI delivering value to Hass Petroleum or are you planning to work with AI companies in the future?

The reality is there is a serious transformation happening in terms of AI technology. 

I can be specific around the oil industry; in a supply chain, you might have a refinery selling oil to Hass Petroleum.

A basic example would be a bill of lading documents issued. We would be interested in a few points like; quantity in metric tons, dates, and a few other clauses. With AI or machine learning you can have this basic information extracted and provided to you, and not necessarily the 10 pages that are technical and legal that have nothing to do with the transaction that you are keen on. 

As a business accepting this level of technological transformation will really ease this whole aspect of doing business. You should be able to use AI to get the basic information that will aid in speedy decision making.

There is currently a blockchain initiative that streamlines this process where I would be able to access this data from my end of the cycle essentially making manual data entry processes obsolete. The need for human involvement will never be eliminated in the process, but it will not be the same. 

There are a lot of opportunities for both Hass Petroleum as users and companies that are developing these AI solutions. 

Africa’s economies have largely failed to create stable and well-paid jobs. What can you advise Somali youth who want to work in a challenging work environment like Somalia or other African countries?

Let me start with demystifying first. Somalia is not a challenging environment.  Instead, I will say Africa is the land of opportunities Somalia included. I have personally traveled to some of these developed worlds.  I will say life is quite stable there. It’s very easy for you to live stable, the best healthcare, the best education etc. 

But if you have this young Somali guy and this dream of becoming a billionaire.  I think you have better chances of being one in Africa. The Somali youth should therefore come back and take advantage of these immense opportunities.

Equally, there is no shortcut in life. It’s all about sheer hard work. Youth across must therefore embrace hardwork in what they do. 

If you are Somali living in the West and you are blessed with best of education and in the best of environments. You have read and seen how innovation in the west like apple or Tesla transformed industries. It is time for you now to pack up and take with you all this in the fertile land of Somalia. We will welcome you with a red carpet and come and make it in Africa. 

In Somalia specifically, we all want to be bystanders. We want things to change but we don’t want to be part of the change. So if you are not coming back, if you are not taking part in the evolution of Somalia to what it deserves to be. Then stop questioning the happenings back home.

I have appreciated that the Somali community is a resilient one and all they are yearning for is the right environment for them to work and earned halal means.