By Hamse Khaire (Deputy Governor, Bank of Somaliland)
On the evening of May 18, 2025, something remarkable unfolded in Nairobi — not with fireworks or fanfare, but with quiet conviction. Professor P. L. O. Lumumba, a name that resonates across Africa as a voice for justice, unity, and Pan-Africanism, stood beside His Excellency President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro at a celebration of Somaliland’s independence. It wasn’t just a photo-op. It was a moment charged with meaning — a declaration that the African dream of unity has space for Somaliland.
This story began on September 11, 2021, when Lumumba visited Hargeisa for the first time. There, he met Irro, then the leader of Somaliland’s opposition. That meeting — warm, intellectual, and sincere — left an imprint. Lumumba was not simply welcomed; he was understood. In Irro, he saw not just a politician, but a statesman — a man capable of articulating a vision of statehood grounded in self-reliance, peace, and democratic will.
Since then, Lumumba has stood alongside Somaliland’s journey. Over 1,300 students have graduated from Unity University, an institution he helped establish — a living testament to the soft power of ideas and education. But it was during tonight’s May 18th celebration that Lumumba made his boldest commitment yet: the establishment of a Pan-African Institute in Hargeisa, backed by a trade delegation arriving in the coming months.
It was a moment rich with symbolism and clarity. For years, critics have argued that recognizing Somaliland would fracture the fragile dream of Pan-African unity. But Lumumba, with his characteristic eloquence, dismantled this fallacy. “If you are a father and a family man, and your children go out and start their own families,” he said, “it does not mean the family is broken. It means it is growing stronger.”
Somaliland is not an outlier on the continent, nor is it a renegade from its roots. It is a mature nation — self-sufficient, responsible, and ready to take its place at Africa’s table. Lumumba’s framing offers a new paradigm for African unity — one based not on the colonial cartography of the past, but on the legitimacy of governance, stability, and the will of the people.
Irro, now president, stands as a new model of African leadership. Persuasive without being polemical, principled without being rigid, he has done what few could: win the endorsement of one of Africa’s most passionate integrationists without compromising Somaliland’s sovereign aspiration. That is no small feat.
This is the real Somaliland: a place that doesn’t let go of visitors — and a cause that doesn’t let go of the conscience. As Lumumba’s words echoed through Nairobi, it became clear that the recognition of Somaliland is no longer a question of if, but when — and when it comes, it will not divide Africa. It will dignify it.
In truth, Africa does not need fewer examples of independence done right. It needs more. Somaliland, in all its imperfections and triumphs, is one of them. And Pan-Africanism, at its best, should be big enough to welcome it home.
