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Dubai, July 1, 2003 (Gulf News) - Somalis in the UAE will now be able to transfer money legally. This has been made possible under a cooperation signed by Emirates Post and Somal Post.
Prior to the cooperation, the popular mode of money transfer used by Somalis was hawala. As for delivery of mail to and from the country, it was at the mercy of international voluntary organizations in Somalia.
It was news all around the world when the Somalian money transfer company Al Barakat was closed by the FBI.
The company was alleged to have dealings with terrorist groups. The loss incurred as a result of the closure was $43 million.
This is the first international postal agreement for Somalia, a country marred by decades of political turmoil. Starting today nearly 75,000 Somalis residing in the UAE will not only be able to transfer money but will also be able to send letters and parcels to their home country.
The requirements of Somalis will be met by 72 post offices of Emirates Post. To begin with, the cooperation will ensure postal services to Somali cities of Mogadishu, Hargeisa, Bossano and Galkayo.
"The Emirates Post's mail transit hub at Dubai airport will be used to dispatch mail bound for Somalia, as well as forward mail originating from Somalia to the UK, Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, Canada and the UAE.
"Through this cooperation we have provided Somalis a kind of security blanket to transfer their money legally and in a more controlled environment," said Abdullah Al Daboos, Director General of Emirates Post.
He said the services are being launched in response to a demand from customers. The agreement was preceded by a series of discussions to work out attractive deals with high standards of customer service.
"Serious discussions on cooperation are also taking place with other Arab countries. It won't be appropriate for me to name the countries now.
"We are looking into the automation part of the service. This is because when we launch these services modern technologies should be in place. By the end of 2003 we plan to cover Arab countries and Africa. We will be in good shape by the end of this year," said Al Daboos.
In his address, Deqa Ismail, Operation Director, Somal Post said by 2005 Somalis will have a cost effective mail service. "We are doing the right thing," he said.
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