Somalia’s leaders requested American help to found a national airline

Evidence

One of Hussen’s major accomplishments during his tenure at Public Works that unequivocally marked his commitment to a national rather than a regional or tribal agenda was the establishment of Somali Airlines. It is not clear whose idea it was to set up a national air carrier, the prime minister’s or the minister’s. They approached the American ambassador and informed him of the country’s immense communication and transportation problems, such as long and unpaved roads and the absence of air transport and railroads. The two leaders specifically requested that the American government assist them in developing air transport. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 718

Categorization

• SEED: The founding of a tiny postcolonial national airline as a nation-building act is a rich story angle.