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Journalist Kevin Sites, after a trip to anarchic Somalia, reported that “Somalia, though brutally poor, is a kind of libertarian’s dream. Free enterprise flourishes, and vigorous commercial competition is the only form of regulation. Somalia has some of the best telecommunications in Africa, with a handful of companies ready to wire home or office and provide crystal-clear service, including international long distance, for about $10 a month.”[17] Abdullahi Mohammed Hussein of Telecom Somalia stated that “the government post and telecoms company used to have a monopoly but after the regime was toppled, we were free to set up our own business”,[18] The World Bank reported in 2007 that only about 1.5% of the population had a telephone[14] resulting in the emergence of ten fiercely competitive telephone companies.[19] According to the CIA World Factbook, private telephone companies “offer service in most major cities” via wireless technology, charging “the lowest international rates on the continent”,[3] while The New York Times has noted the private provision of mail services.[2] The Economist cited the telephone industry in anarchic Somalia as “a vivid illustration of the way in which governments…can often be more of a hindrance than a help.”[20] Gaalkacyo, a desert town in the central Somalia, was provided with streetlights by local entrepreneur Abdirizak Osman, who expanded his enterprises from telecommunications to power generators, not only lighting the town but also supplying free electricity to the local hospital.[19] Since the fall of the government, dozens of private newspapers, radio and television stations mushroomed (Mogadishu has two fiercely competing TV stations[19]), with private radio stations or newspapers in almost all major towns.
