From camel herder to telecoms leader — celebrating our CEO’s story

By Abdiarshid Ali Ainanshe, CCO of Hormuud Telecom

Hormuud Telecom strives to lay the infrastructure for Somalia to succeed. Our CEO, Ahmed Yuusef, is the driving force behind this vision and an inspiration for our country’s entrepreneurs.

This is just one of the reasons why Ahmed is a nominee to win the 2023 Inspiring Leader of the Year Award at East AfricaCom.

The award recognises individuals that have been exceptional leaders, driving innovation and new technologies in tech and telecoms. Please vote for him here so we can bring the award home to Somalia.

Ahmed’s story is one of resilience, determination, and resourcefulness.

From humble beginnings as a camel herder, Ahmed started his business career as a door-to-door salesperson and eventually opened a shop. Although he was forced to flee Somalia in the 1990s, he returned and joined Hormuud in 2002, with the intention to rebuild our country.

It is over twenty years later, and Ahmed’s contribution to Somalia’s economy and its communities cannot be underestimated. From re-establishing basic GSM (2G) services to introducing 4G, Ahmed has made it his mission to use technology to connect Somalis with their loved ones — both at home and abroad — and to encourage the transfer of remittances into the country.

These inflows of money have been crucial. Somalia received no foreign investment between 1990 and 2013, with the impact of years of political turmoil leaving formal banking structures in disarray.

To kick start Somalia’s economy, Ahmed launched EVC Plus — a mobile money app now used by over two-thirds of the population.

EVC Plus has provided a backbone for businesses in Somalia to not only exist but to thrive. The infrastructure created by mobile money has transformed Somalia’s economic situation and has established our country as one of the world’s first truly cashless societies.

EVC Plus has enabled the financial inclusion of women, rural communities, and those on the margins of society. Our gender gap for mobile money is 5% compared to the 19.5% overall in sub-Saharan Africa. This is a direct result of Hormuud’s strategy of inclusion.

In 2021, Ahmed and his team also launched Waafi — Somalia’s first fintech app, putting Hormuud at the forefront of digital payments in the region. The app combines mobile money, communication, entertainment, and payments in one platform, and enabled Somalia’s first in-country digital bank transfers.

Beyond this, Ahmed has pioneered vital technology to respond to Somalia’s humanitarian crisis. With more than one million people having been displaced by drought, he created a tool for NGOs to distribute cash-aid to last-mile communities.

The humanitarian portal provides a traceable, efficient, and timely way to distribute cash assistance via mobile money from anywhere in the world. With it, humanitarian organisations can distribute $1 million at a time to up to 10,000 beneficiaries with just a click of a button.

Whether it’s through the development of technological advancements for increasing financial inclusion, or streamlining the transfer of humanitarian aid, Ahmed has been at the forefront of Somalia’s telecommunications industry for twenty years.

Join us, and vote for Ahmed to gain the recognition that he well and truly deserves.