Investing in the Horn:

SDC as a key to investment in this region of Africa

• Supported by the Department for International Development (DFID)
• Facilitates investment into the Somaliland, Horn of Africa
• Bonds together investor and community interests
• Relevant to long term quality investment projects
• Operates under World Bank anti-corruption guidelines

The SDC was founded in 2011 and is part of a process that seeks to better integrate the former protectorate Horn region of Africa into the international community. The organisation aims to increase outside investment in Somaliland – and the surrounding regions of the Horn of Africa – by providing a secure, professional and mutually beneficial environment for investors and local communities to interact.

The Founding Board Members of the SDC comprise Jeremy Carver CBE, President of the British branch of the International Law Association; Professor Myles Wickstead CBE, former UK Ambassador to Ethiopia and Independent Vice-Chair of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy; Leoned (Len) Tiahlo, Resources Sector Executive and Investment Specialist and Dr Rashid Hassan, ex-Somaliland Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. In addition to the four founders, the SDC is supported by its Director Edna Adan Ismail, a UN diplomat, French Legion of Honour recipient and former Foreign Minister of Somaliland. The SDC benefits from their combined knowledge of the economic potential and political climate of Eastern Africa and international law.

The SDC assists in developing and negotiating mutually beneficial contracts between communities and investors, thus supporting the long term sustainability of relationships, transparency of business practices and full accountability for both parties. In so doing, local host communities will be better able to improve their international business capacity and increase their choice and access to quality international investors.

Working within local customs and practices, the SDC is structured to employ high standards of disclosure to investors and host communities to ensure that all transactions are competitively priced. The SDC’s Board will oversee transactions and will regularly assess financial, developmental and reputational risks. By applying World Bank anti-corruption guidelines and transactional transparency principles, the SDC provides investors and host communities with a safer platform on which to transact.

“The SDC is an important initiative in opening up investment and trade opportunities into the former protectorate Horn region of Africa,” comments Jeremy Carver. “By facilitating mutually-beneficial agreements, the SDC is positioned to play a significant role in encouraging quality inward investment by the international community.”

The former British Protectorate of Somaliland is an area in the Horn of Africa rich in opportunity for investment. The SDC is linked with local communities so as to raise their level of understanding of such foreign inward investment opportunity and the accompanying international business environment.

In this vein, the SDC is addressing the following sectors: the Berbera transit corridor to land-linked Ethiopia, fibre-optic based communications and related business, international banking and financial services, agricultural development, livestock export, tanning and leather production and the extractive minerals sector.

For further information on the SDC, please visit www.sdc-africa.com

Notes for Editors:

Jeremy P Carver CBE

International Lawyer, Director and Co-Founder of the SDC

The recipient of a CBE for Services to International Law, Jeremy P Carver has been President of the British branch of the International Law Association since 2001. Previously a consultant at Clifford Chance LLP (2003-2013), other professional affiliations include Partner at Coward Chance (1974–2003 before its merger with Clifford Chance) as well as Solicitor at the Courts of Hong Kong and the Supreme Court of England and Wales. Carver has served on the boards of Transparency International UK and International Rescue Committee New York, USA, and was Co-Chair of International Rescue Committee UK from 2001–2012.

Professor Myles Wickstead CBE

Former Ambassador of UK and Africa Development Specialist, Director and Co-Founder of the SDC

Professor Myles Wickstead is the recipient of a number of Honorary Doctorates in recognition of his work on Africa. From 1993–1997 he was based in Nairobi as Head of the British Development Division in Eastern Africa, before serving on the Board of the World Bank (and as Development Counsellor at the British Embassy) in Washington from 1997–2000. He was then appointed British Ambassador to Ethiopia for four years, serving as Head of Secretariat for the Commission for Africa (CfA) from 2004–2005 before leaving government service. Dr Wickstead served as Independent Vice-Chair of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and is currently Chair of One World Media (OWM) and has been a Specialist Advisor to the Parliamentary International Development Select Committee.

Leoned (Len) Tiahlo

Resources Sector Executive and Investment Specialist, Director and Secretary of the SDC

Len Tiahlo is focused upon inward investment in the Horn region of Africa, with three decades’ experience in the minerals extraction sector. He began his career with the Anglo-American Corporation ZCCM (1973–1976), before going on to become a UK-based engineer in new oil and gas field exploitation. In 1984, Tiahlo joined ARCO and specialised in research and development, followed by mergers and acquisitions at the LA-based corporate HQ. From 1991 he partnered with Prof Ed Purdy (ex-Exxon) and Dr Bill Kruger (ex-Amoco) in an advisory associated with Arthur Anderson. In 1997, helped initiate and close the first Ukraine state investment into a UK PLC. He later went on to work on advisory in Russia and also in association with Lehman Brothers. From 2004, with ex-director of Tullow PLC, Eskander Maleki, Tiahlo was active in new business evaluation in the Middle East and Africa, including Somaliland. This latter interest resulted in an agreement with Somaliland to create a joint venture to raise local capacity and attract participation with quality oil and gas companies.

Dr Mohamed Rashid Hassan

Founder and Director of the SDC Corporation

Dr Mohamed Rashid Hassan is Somaliland’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He worked on the Somali Desk of the BBC World Service, and studied Political Science and Social Anthropology at London University, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He was the Vice Chairman of the UCID Political party of Somaliland.

Dr Edna Adan Ismail

Principal Intermediary with Somaliland Horn Community Leaders, Director of the SDC

Dr Edna Adan Ismail is a nurse, midwife, UN diplomat, French Legion of Honour recipient and former foreign minister of Somaliland. She was also a founding member of the Somali Red Crescent in 1963. Ismail was married to Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, who was Head of Government in British Somaliland five days prior to Somalia’s independence and later the Prime Minister of Somalia (1967–1969) and President of Somaliland (1993–2002).  Ismail was the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Nursing Adviser during 1986. From 1987–1991, she was Regional Technical Officer for Mother and Child Health, before becoming a representative of WHO in Djibouti (1991–1997). Since retirement from WHO, Ms Ismail has wholly focused all her resources into providing much-needed health care to a population with one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. In a recent talk at TEDxRC², Edna shared her vision for saving many more lives across the Horn of Africa, proving that “if it can happen in Somaliland, it can happen anywhere.”