In Mogadishu, a familiar saying echoes through conversations about resilience: “Meel fog ayaa laga yimid” — we came from far. That phrase captures the remarkable journey of Abdirisak Isse, the founder and outgoing CEO of UBC- Coca Cola Somalia, whose story reflects both personal determination and the broader rebirth of Somali enterprise.
Abdirisak Isse left Somalia in its peaceful years, departing with the same hopes and ambitions that carried many young Somalis abroad. A decade later, the country had fallen into turmoil. During a visit to the United Arab Emirates, a relative, an elder and businessman, urged him to return to Mogadishu, offering personal assurance of safety despite reports of armed clashes within the city.
After hesitation and reflection, he accepted. His return in 1998 marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to rebuilding opportunity inside Somalia rather than watching from afar.
Upon arriving in Mogadishu, he encountered a city struggling with the most basic necessities. Clean drinking water was scarce and often imported at unaffordable prices. In response, his first venture became the establishment of a water purification company, Saafi.
Many questioned whether ordinary citizens could afford purified water. Yet daily scenes of overcrowded hospitals and water-borne illness convinced him that safe water was not merely a business opportunity, but a public responsibility, one capable of saving lives while building sustainable enterprise.
By 1999, he embarked on an even more ambitious undertaking: laying the foundation for Coca-Cola production in Somalia. At the time, the country lacked a functioning central government, and security depended largely on local arrangements and personal networks within the fragile governance emerging from the Arta reconciliation process.
Technical expertise inside Somalia was limited. Recruitment relied partly on remnants of earlier international development programs such as Germany’s GTZ, while key employees were sent abroad, including to Coca-Cola Eritrea, to gain industrial training and operational experience. Equipment imports, staffing, and logistics all required persistence in an uncertain environment.
On the night of July 5, 2004, Coca-Cola production in Mogadishu officially began. The moment symbolized the contradictions of the city at the time: wedding celebrations illuminated one neighborhood while gunfire and shelling echoed near the port in another. Against that fragile backdrop, the first locally produced Coca-Cola bottles rolled off the line, a quiet but powerful sign of renewal.
Today, the impact of UBC- Coca-Cola Somalia is visible across the country. More than 230 Somalis are directly employed, supported by entirely Somali investment. Between 6,000 and 8,000 retail outlets distribute the company’s products, while an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 livelihoods benefit indirectly through supply chains and commerce.
Since 2015, the company has maintained four international ISO certifications, ISO 14001, ISO 22000, ISO 45001, and ISO 9001, ensuring environmental stewardship, employee safety, product quality, and operational excellence.
As Abdirisak Isse steps down from leadership, responsibility passes to Awale, a long-serving and analytically gifted professional shaped by the same journey of growth within the organization.
Gratitude is also widely extended to Ustad Awil Tohow, whose guidance and steady support played a significant role in building the company’s foundation.
Looking back, the story is larger than one enterprise. From navigating insecurity and launching clean-water access, to training a new industrial workforce and sustaining modern beverage production in a recovering nation, the rise of UBC- Coca Cola Somalia mirrors Somalia’s own resilience.
The company stands today as a Somali-funded, Somali-managed, and Somali-serving institution, a source of employment, dignity, and national pride. Encouragement from international partners helped sustain early belief in the vision, while improving stability in Mogadishu, and the return of functioning government institutions has allowed that vision to mature.
Above all, the journey reflects the trust of Somali citizens and entrepreneurs who chose to invest, support, and persevere. Through their confidence, UBC- Coca Cola Somalia has grown beyond a commercial enterprise into a symbol of ingenuity, endurance, and hope for the nation’s future.
