Eastleigh

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud tours Eastleigh

By Abdirahman Khalif | Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Hassan went on a guided tour of the Business Bay Square (BBS) Mall, the biggest in East and Central Africa.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Eastleigh, Nairobi, on Wednesday, after attending the third day of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Annual Meetings, which are taking place at the KICC this week.

Hassan went on a guided tour of the Business Bay Square (BBS) Mall, the biggest in East and Central Africa.

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Spanning an impressive 130,000 square metres, the mall has more than 10 banks, more than 20 restaurants, hospitals, cinema halls, many retail outlets, and 1,500 parking slots.

Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (C) waves at the public while touring the BBS Mall in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on May 29, 2024, with leaders including Somali Ambassador to Kenya Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, and Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif/EV)

President Hassan was welcomed by Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan, BBS Mall Chair Maalim Weli and CEO Munir Ahmed. He was accompanied by Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and Somali Ambassador to Kenya Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (C) is pictured on a guided tour of the BBS Mall in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on May 29, 2024. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif/EV)

Hassan arrived in Nairobi on Tuesday to attend the African Development Bank (AfDB) meeting, whose theme is “Africa's Economic Transformation: African Development Bank and the Reform of the Global Financial Architecture." He was welcomed by Ambassador Jabril and CS Aden.

Several top leaders have toured Eastleigh, a key business hub in the capital city, among them President William Ruto, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, State Presidents Ahmed Mohamed (Jubaland), Abdiaziz Laftagareen (South West), and Ahmed Abdi Karie (Galmudug).

Other leaders who have visited the mall are Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi, German Ambassador to Kenya, Sebastian Groth, Ambassador Jabril, Dadaab MP Farah Maalim, and Wajir South's Mohammed Adow.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (C) is pictured on a guided tour of the BBS Mall in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on May 29, 2024. (Photo: Abdirahman Khalif/EV)

Hassan Sheikh is the first President of the Federal Government of Somalia to visit Eastleigh.

The tours have put Eastleigh on the map, solidifying its reputation as a retail tourism hub that is making significant contributions to economic growth.