The political economy of connectivity in the Somali Horn of Africa

Abstract

This article focuses on the political economy of connectivity in the Somali Horn of Africa (HoA). On the one hand, it charts the emergence of firms in Somalia and Somaliland at the intersection of telecommunication and finance, eventually controlling logistics through digital platforms that enable the circulation of people, goods and value across the region. On the other, it examines the historical and political elements that have shaped a peculiar instance of digital capitalism against a backdrop of protracted insecurity and state fragility. It uses the specific case-study of digital platforms in the Somali HoA to provide insights into the multiple shapes that digital capitalism can take. To advance the authors' analysis, the article links the notions of digital infrastructural power and ‘extrastatecraft’. Empirically, it delves into the case of digital platforms in the Somali HoA to illustrate how the unique digital landscape of the region has evolved over fifty years of political instability and economic volatility. Theoretically, the article navigates the implications of the state's heavy reliance on privately owned and managed platforms amid the backdrop of variegated digital capitalism narratives, which have predominantly centred on the global North.