STORY: SOMALIA / MOGADISHU TAXIS TRT: 4:03 SOURCE: AU/UN IST RESTRICTIONS: This media asset is free for

editorial broadcast, print, online and radio use. It is not to be sold on and is restricted for other purposes. All enquiries to news@auunist.org CREDIT REQUIRED: AU/UN IST LANGUAGE: SOMALIA/NATS DATELINE: 01 SEPTEMBER 2013, MOGADISHU SHOTLIST: 1.Wide shot, Mogadishu busy streets 2.Med shot, vehicles on the road 3.Med shot, woman waiting for transport 4.Med shot, taxis cars on the road 5.Close up, sign reading Mogadishu Taxi Company 6.Wide shot, interior of Mogadishu taxi company offices 7.Med shot, Suleiman Mohamed Daras, manager at the Taxi Company 8.Med shot, drivers at the company 9.Wide shot, Suleiman Mohamed Daras talking to drivers 10. SOUNDBITE (Somali), Suleiman Mohamed Daras, manager Mogadishu Taxi Company: We started with 25 cars and we have been working for 3 months. Now Mogadishu Taxi taxis working in Mogadishu used to charge. For example when we pick a passenger from Bakara Market and take them to the airport, we charge them between 6 and 7 dollars whereas they used to pay up to 30 dollars. 11. Wide shot, Abdirizaq Mohamed checking his car 12. Med shot, Abdirizaq Mohamed cleaning his car 13. Close up, reflection of Abdirizaq Muhamed on his car 14. Wide shot, Abdirizaq Mohamed walking round to the driver door 15. Med shot, Abdirizaq Mohamed entering the car and shutting the door 16. Close up, Abdirizaq Mohamed starting the car 17. Med shot, Abdirizaq Mohamed hands on steering wheel as he drives 18. Close up, rear view mirror 19. Wide shot, people walking on the streets 20. SOUNDBITE (Somali), Abdirizaq Mohamed Taxi Driver: We all come from different backgrounds. Some have come from different countries and they used to be taxi drivers there. Now, theyve come back to practice their skills here. This company has enabled many youth who were not doing much to engage in gainful employment. If all the youth were employed, there wouldnt be problems in this country. 21. Wide shot, different taxis on the road 22. Med shot, red Xamar taxi

23. Med shot, taxi on the road 24. SOUNDBITE (Somali), Suleiman Mohamed Daras, manager Mogadishu Taxi Company: Competition is crucial for any business. We welcome all other alternative ideas. They are our colleagues and they have affirmed our business models and we welcome this. We dont see it as a challenge. 25.Wide shot, Mogadishu taxi on the road 26. Med shot, interior of Mogadishu taxi with Abdirizaq Mohamed driving 27. Med shot, side view of car with Mogadishu taxi numbers 28. Wide shot, Abdirizaq Mohameds taxi on the road 29. SOUNDBITE (Somali), Abdirizaq Mohamed Taxi Driver: When we look at Somalia now, I feel that the future looks good. Personally, Im very optimistic. 30. Wide shot, people on the streets as car drives by 31. Wide shot Mogadishu taxi diving by STORY: These dusty streets were once considered the most dangerous in the world. They were the scene of daily running battles, but times have changed and so has Mogadishu. These once deserted streets of the Somali capital are now bustling with traffic. Before only tanks and technical dared to go down these roads and thoroughfares, today they have taxis. The Mogadishu Taxi Company have been operating in the city for three months now and were the first to bring the Yellow cabs to Mogadishu after the Islamist militant group al Shabaab where driven out by the Somali National Forces supported by troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia. (AMISOM). With the increased security situation, Suleiman Mohamed Daras and his partners saw an investment opportunity and took it. They introduced branded yellow and blue taxis and charging their clients $1 per kilometer. Clients call into the station on their cells phones and a taxi is dispatched to their location. We started with 25 cars and we have been working for 3 months. Now Mogadishu Taxi taxis working in Mogadishu used to charge. Says Suleiman Mohamed Daras, the manager of Mogadishu Taxi Company. For example when we pick a passenger from Bakara Market and take them to the airport, we charge them between 6 and 7 dollars whereas they used to pay up to 30 dollars. The Taxis not only ease the transport situation in the city and add color to streets; they also serve as a source of employment for the countrys young people.

Abdirizaq Mohamed wipes the dust off his taxi as he waits for his next customer; he has been working for the company for over two months now and it has changed his life. Like many young people in Somalia the two decade long civil war gave them no choice but to take up arms for survival. He was a member of one of the many militias groups that controlled parts of this city. With the increased stability he has traded his weapon for new wheels. We all come from different backgrounds. Some have come from different countries and they used to be taxi drivers there. Now, theyve come back to practice their skills here. This company has enabled many youth who were not doing much to engage in gainful employment. If all the youth were employed, there wouldnt be problems in this country. Says Abdirizaq Mohamed Taxi Driver. Eighty-percent of the drivers at the Mogadishu Taxi Company are young men who either own the cars or are renting them on a daily basis. They pay the company $25 a day and whatever the make on top of that its their for keep. On a not too busy day, Abdirizaq make close to $70 and can now provide for his family. Across the city different taxi companies can now be seen plying the streets, largely due to investment from the Diaspora. Although its competition for the Mogadishu Taxi Company, its providing more opportunity for Somalias youth. Competition is crucial for any business. Says Suleiman Mohamed Daras the manager of Mogadishu Taxi Company. We welcome all other alternative ideas. They are our colleagues and they have affirmed our business models and we welcome this. We dont see it as a challenge. Business is rife is Mogadishu with new hotels, restaurants, shops and buildings coming up across the city. The airport and seaport have also seen increased traffic of goods and Somalis from the Diaspora coming back home to rebuild their nation. When we look at Somalia now, I feel that the future looks good. Says Abdirizaq Mohamed. Personally, Im very optimistic. Somalia is on the road to recovery thanks to the relative peace that has followed the departure of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist group al Shabaab from the city and a sting of other towns in south-central Somalia. The Horn of African nation now has an internationally recognised government for the first time in years and can see tangible changes as a result of the peace. For young men like Abdirizaq Mohamed, its about being giving the opportunity to do the right thing, to sit in the drivers seat and rebuilding their land. END.