Somali businesses abroad
Somali businesses abroad: directory by country
This directory lists Somali-founded companies and Somali shopping centres outside Somalia, by country: fuel, transport and property firms in Uganda and Kenya, the malls of Eastleigh in Nairobi and of Minneapolis, money transfer firms registered in the UK, and companies founded by Somalis in Australia and Djibouti. Each row has a source, and each country section links to our page on Somali business there.
About this list
Somalis abroad run large numbers of shops, transport firms and trading companies, often in shopping centres where many Somali traders rent stalls. This list gives the companies and centres that a published source names. It does not list sole traders or small family shops. Firms that send money home are listed under money transfer companies, and those registered in the UK also appear in the UK section here.
Kenya
| Name | Type | Founded | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garissa Lodge | Lodging house turned shopping centre, the first Eastleigh mall | early 1990s | Eastleigh, Nairobi | Carrier, Little Mogadishu, 2017 |
| Amal Shopping Plaza | Shopping centre, more than 500 shops | Eastleigh, Nairobi | Bloomsbury, Global Sociology student resources | |
| Business Bay Square | Shopping centre, about 130,000 square metres | Eastleigh, Nairobi | People Daily | |
| Hass Petroleum | Fuel importer and distributor | 1997 | Nairobi | Hass Petroleum, our history |
Read more: Eastleigh: Somali business in Nairobi.
Uganda
| Name | Type | Founded | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Oil | Fuel stations | 1980s, as Mandela Auto Spares | Kampala | Hiiraan Online, 2009 |
| Hashi Empex | Fuel | Kampala | Hiiraan Online, 2009 | |
| Hared | Fuel | Kampala | Hiiraan Online, 2009 | |
| Gateway | Bus company, more than 100 buses | 1983 | Uganda | Hussein Shire |
| Horyal Investments Holding | Property, sugar and hardware; head Amina Moghe Hersi | Kampala | Wikipedia, Amina Moghe Hersi |
Read more: Somali business in Uganda.
United Kingdom
| Name | Type | Incorporated | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dahabshiil Transfer Services Ltd | Money transfer | 31 March 1998 | London | Companies House, 03538207 |
| Iftin Express Limited | Money transfer | 28 June 2006 | London | Companies House, 05860963 |
| Amal UK Express Limited | Money transfer | 29 November 2006 | London | Companies House, 06013583 |
| Juba Express Limited | Money transfer | 20 October 2009 | London | Companies House, 07049593 |
| WorldRemit | Online money transfer | 22 December 2009 | London | Companies House, 07110878 |
| Universal TV | Television | 2005 | London | Wikipedia, Universal Television (Somalia) |
Read more: Somali businesses in the UK.
United States
| Name | Type | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karmel Mall | Shopping centre of Somali-run shops, about 650 businesses | Minneapolis | Sahan Journal, 25 June 2026 |
| Madina Mall | Shopping centre, about 40 shops | Minneapolis | Sahan Journal, 25 June 2026 |
| Karmel Restaurants | Restaurant chain founded in 1999, later in Dubai, Nairobi and, from 2013, Mogadishu | Minneapolis | SOMINVEST 2023, p. 82 |
Read more: Somali businesses in Minnesota.
South Africa
Somali traders in South Africa mostly run small shops in townships, which this list does not name one by one. Read more: Somali shops in South Africa.
United Arab Emirates
Dubai has more than 100 Somali businesses, including gold and textile shops, hotels, money exchanges and cargo firms shipping to Somalia, many around the Gold Souq in Deira, according to a 2022 account by a Somali resident (The National, 1 July 2022). Read more: Somalis in the UAE.
Sweden
A 2021 report counted about 600 Swedish Somalis running their own firms (The Global Village, 2021). Read more: Somalis in Sweden.
Djibouti and Australia
| Name | Type | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSK Group / OGF Group | Shipping, logistics and construction; the group of the founder of Somaliland Beverage Industries | Djibouti | Clingendael, Transnational capital in Somalia, 2019 |
| Lumachain | Food supply-chain software, founded 2018 by Jamila Gordon | Sydney | Jamila Gordon; Wikipedia, Jamila Gordon |
Sources
- Carrier, Little Mogadishu, 2017 · research-information.bris.ac.uk
- Bloomsbury, Global Sociology student resources · bloomsburyonlineresources.com
- People Daily · peopledaily.digital
- Hass Petroleum, our history · hasspetroleum.com
- Hiiraan Online, 2009 · hiiraan.com
- Wikipedia, Amina Moghe Hersi · en.wikipedia.org
- Companies House, 03538207 · find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
- Companies House, 05860963 · find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
- Companies House, 06013583 · find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
- Companies House, 07049593 · find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
- Companies House, 07110878 · find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
- Wikipedia, Universal Television (Somalia) · en.wikipedia.org
- Sahan Journal, 25 June 2026 · sahanjournal.com
- SOMINVEST 2023, p. 82 · vanilla-islands.org
- The National, 1 July 2022 · thenationalnews.com
- The Global Village, 2021 · jarvaveckan.se
- Clingendael, Transnational capital in Somalia, 2019 · kpsrl.org
- Wikipedia, Jamila Gordon · en.wikipedia.org
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- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
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- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
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- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.