Trade restrictions favored Italian Lira goods over British Sterling imports in Somalia

Evidence

Jirdeh spoke mainly about economic conditions in the region and described them as flourishing… . He … maintains an office in Mogadishu but stated that his business in Mogadishu was very poor due in part to the general low level of commercial activity of Mogadishu and the fact that goods from the Sterling area [the former British colonies] are at a disadvantage in the Southern region. He explained this was due to the restrictions placed on imports from the Sterling area while no such restrictions exist on Lira imports from Italy. Jirdeh stated that the people in the North, however, were in great need of development projects and other assistance and that they were in a mood to accept help from anyone… . As to the internal political situation, Jirdeh thought there was some dissatisfaction among the professional politicians because of the loss of influence suffered with union and apprehension generally about the “Italian System.” On the whole, however, there was stability and no serious separatist sentiment. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 636

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader theme of unequal economic integration between the former British North and Italian South that recurs throughout Somali union history.