 I'm still here in Somaliland and I'm having the best time of my life. Please Charlie walk in the streets of Somaliland. Smooth, smooth, smooth, no banana. Like I said, it's time to make Africa home again. I was in Ghana and Ghanians that lived abroad are coming back to make Ghana home again. I was in Nigeria and I saw the same thing and I never knew the same thing is happening here in Somaliland. That makes me so excited because I'm saying that Africa was being raped some time ago and we didn't have the strength to prevent Africa from being raped but it's time for Africans to resist from Africa being raped once again. It's a favorite village boy and I'm here in Somaliland but today I'm going to have an awesome conversation with a man who lived in the state and he's back in his home country to make a change and you know what, how we do it? We always have to go and find out who this man is but don't forget to like, share and subscribe. Mr Farhan, this is the third time I'm seeing you. Absolutely. Initially we met where? I think in Safari Hotel, right? Safari Gym. Safari Gym. When I was playing table tennis. It's like this guy is from Ghana because Ghanians are shot back. They have the same height. So definitely he's also from Ghana. I want to know why did you leave Somaliland in the first place? Actually my first left was not Somaliland, it was Somalia because the reason I left was the part where I live in which is Somaliland right now has been oppressed by the previous dictator, Siad Barre and I actually either have to be... I was one of the kids who actually started uprising so my parents thought that either I might be killed or I have to get out of the country. So I had the opportunity for them to fund me and send me to Qatar because my brother, peace upon him, he passed away, Rashid, he took me to Qatar for two and a half years just for me to get some money then I went to go to the States to get education and as I told you, I became a Qadari army particularly the commandos unit and I excelled actually because I was a young man, very active, very energetic probably was one of the youngest members in the army I became a commandos unit, Barre Truba in fact the current ruler of Qatar's father he gave me a cup because I came in the second second place for the Karate, for the whole army in Qatar so I had a good time there and we got trained for the Barre Truba in Jordan and I had a chance also to be given the wink when you finish the briefest ruler, the King Hussain himself has actually handed me the other one too as well because I was one of the best by the way for the army so they called it Jundil Mifale which was the leading soldier when there is a training, I was the one who does show the people how it's done oh ok, so from how long did you stay in Qatar? two years, probably two years and a half and why did you leave? my actual intention was to leave anyway because I was trying to get some money and go back to the States for education my other brother Abdullah who was older than Rashid he was in the States, I sent me an academic visa then I went to the States March 1985 how long did you live in the States? 15 years 15 years, what were you doing in the States? I went to school, in fact I went to various different schools and various different subjects mainly by community colleges and being there I saw there were opportunities that I could excel I was working at the gas station and going to school at the same time then I became very much enticed about the business itself I used to manage the station while I was going to school then I thought about why don't I start my own place my own business I believe it or not, I didn't have any money then one day one of my countrymen, Somali lander they took me from Oakland to Portland I never had experience about credit cards and stuff we were driving by car going through States, Idaho and all that eventually we went to Oregon I want to know what you were doing in the States one of the reasons I went there was I was going to school but at the same time I became fascinated to work there so I was working part-time at the gas station I was going to school at the same time which was community colleges then I realized the business I was in I was even better than the person who owned the business then I became enticed to own my own self one you wanted to start your own business that's the gas station to be honest with you, I was zero I didn't have any money too but you were in school and I was in school then one day one of my friends from Oregon came and visited me in Oakland, California and this guy, by the way, the guy is here right now but he doesn't know me, he doesn't know the way I did things that guy was using what they call a credit card and I have never had a never have seen the credit card it was 88 and I went to the States, 85 then I saw what it's this, man how come you're not paying cash, you say oh, this credit card, it works this and that wow I said, okay we went to Oregon I've been actually fascinated by that system then when we came back I have applied credit cards I get Master and FISA card from my bank Bank of America, by the way and with a limit of 300 dollars each then I said, man, how can I actually utilize this to benefit from this I have learned how to ask increase went to ask increase all of a sudden I accumulate other credit cards because I have a good credit record almost like 70, 75,000 credit lines of credit cards and I could only cash it out from about 35 another friend of mine then I still live in Oakland, California another friend of mine who came in for a wedding in Oakland which we grew up together who used to live in Portland they had a gas station a business Portland they visited me and I've told them I managed this business but I'm interested to do to buy business Oakland is in California California lifestyle is very expensive but Oregon was very cheap and when you come there and see if you can get an opportunity to buy one definitely cheaper than in Oakland then I went there I looked almost at about six, seven cities including Portland I didn't like any one of them except theirs I flew the next week I bought that place 110,000 dollars with credit cards no, 110,000 dollars but they only have equity of 35,000 and I built it up two and a half years I used to work almost like 18 hours a day you're not going to spend anymore no, I posted this school and I used to work 24 hours the gas station was open 24 hours I expanded the gas station to fast food as well with the recipe of mine I created a recipe which is a Somali recipe cayenne pepper, paprika, this and that wow, the gas station I actually increased the sales almost like 5, 6, 7,000 percent I used to work 18, 19 hours almost, I only had four hours five hours sleep my house didn't even have a TV or anything it was just one bed used to sleep, came back to work because I was a young guy like you strong, energetic two and a half years that place I bought 110,000 I sold it about 475,000 dollars young man, healthy I worked out with over half a million dollars since I was a sub-agent for the gas station business I have decided why don't I eliminate this middleman and be agent directly to the one of the big primary petroleum companies such as Shellfront, Shell or Taxical at that time, let me say at that time there was no internet and all the stuff so every big city in the States they used to bring Sunday papers from all over the States you can get it then you can see the ads for properties for sale I used to, I stopped working I used to just filter those so I came back I went 6 and a half months driving, looking for a property so because I have a cash I have the choice so finally I found another gas station for sale in some part of Seattle, Washington city called Bathel, it was belong to Taxical that's what I was looking for to cut the middleman out the Taxical, they interviewed me immediately they approved me too because I have done all these things that they require a person to do they don't consider just only the money for the expert and somebody who can actually enhance or improve the property I bought that place 225 in two years because I improved it I sold a million dollars I became a millionaire my first time I became a millionaire was 97 1997 I don't know you were about 10 years old I want to know what will happen to you after all this why do you have to leave all of that and move back to Africa I've never seen somebody asking me that question as I told you I've realized every idea everything you want to do it's already been done in the States so you become a franchisee rather than a franchisee so I have to move there that's one thing the second thing Africa is a virgin Africa is an abandoned of resources and also abandoned of consumers we are 50 countries 50 plus countries about 2 or almost 2 some billion people it's actually a virgin not only money to become a pioneer because when I read and I see things I see the wealth of Africa it's been siphoned by the Western then they sell back to Africa with a million times percent with the raw material, cheap raw material they took it back to them it's like what's happening right now at DRC almost every iPhone it has a litre yes, they buy in the peanuts they sell back to thousands of dollars so that's one thing the second thing where do I have to start this? I have to come back to my roots because we believe in Somali brief when you do your thing you can help the others so first start with your own self then you can help others just like what you do you did your thing you went to China you're looking good so you have to help the brothers like me you know what I say what am I? I'm not here to help you I want to be a millionaire too but you came back when you were coming back nobody told you getting crazy for coming back to Africa oh my god not only crazy to be honest with you I have to talk to you I never thought I would come back to Africa I would never visit back to Africa let alone I would leave I never thought because I became I almost became a sports agent in the States me and my partners some black brothers who used to play football to get injured I became like you know I intermingled with them so when I came back one of the other things that I want to come back is my own country because this country it's been actually put back for several reasons one is the previous regime the dictator Ziyad Barre second is a tribal and I have to educate them in a democracy and my people to learn how to live how to live in a what do you call it peaceful way how can't they help each other how can't they fight with the tribe they are one nation not only the man is I consider Africa is one tribe even humans are one tribe they are from Adam so when I moved into I moved from the States I didn't move right away back to here in UAE you know so I cannot just myself little bit I've lived in Sharjah for three years I get married there not this wife but other wife and I've lived there for three years came back both then I've seen there some opportunities available here such as tendering there's a purport it's not being used and Etubias you know it's over 100 million people with landluck exactly so there was a there was a this called Berbera corridor it's been pushed by the EU and and that time another entity used to call urinate which was also from EU they want to open this corridor for Etubias there was some tendering I involved those tenders then I won I stay here which I initially wanted to visit but when I won I stayed six months then I stopped and left in Berbera then I opened this gate you know now DB wall is in Berbera actually I'm the one who opened this gate Berbera to Etubias sport I'm the one who pioneered it yes I became the biggest tobacco one of the biggest tobacco dealer in the country but I don't smoke I get out I've seen it it's not really something that I want to be or promote it's almost like a killing people cancer and stuff you know then I started the media same time I was actually in the tobacco because I always choose to think how I can transform my people from tribal to democracy and stuff that's when I started home cable TV and how long has home cable TV been resistance? almost now what 18 years 2003 2003 then 2008 I went to satellite called Tyco which you can see all over Africa then 2010 I moved to Hartburg which you can see all over the wall the content that we have up here we became actually big part of the transformation of three governments here with the when I first came here there was an egal the founder of this country he passed away then in the second one was reality that's when I started TV reality fall out I was big part of that because I thought it was not the government was not actually working the way it's supposed to we became a almost like a force for the oppositions and I consider we were one of the pillars to brought to the governing that called me a party at that time was led by ex-president Ahmed Sinai one of the nicest person you can meet but you don't want to run for presidency? to be honest with you I never thought about involving politics but I'm contemplating that because in politics in this country there's a big gap in fact in Africa the population at youth almost 70 plus percent are youth people like you and the rulers are all 70 plus there's a big gap there's a misunderstanding there's a what do you call a lack of what do you call openness and nowadays people like you have to govern because it's a digital age and you can actually and I consider you are not very it would be very rare for youth like you to become correct but the older ones they do in the same regime what the others used to do just to siphon the source and the wealth from the public from the people of the country for their own use they never used that money they put it in a bank or some place because he thinks something that you didn't work when you keep grabbing it if you use in my it's finished but when you worked you know how to use it because you know how to do it so one of the biggest problems in Africa is all leaders who are corrupt you surprise some guy who is 70 plus who is stealing from people where he's going to take you to he's going to take you to it just like what happened to what do you call Mabuto he took billions out of his own country and never seen it back with these banks that you are taking it to they know that you have stolen from your country once you die nobody knows because you have hidden exactly and they use it so one of my things that I want to be part of with this transformation of African leaders to become a youth not the old man the old has to retire listen I want to ask you this question if you had the chance to change one thing in Africa what would that be? to be honest with you I have to we have to create a watchdog which is a corrupted corruption watchdog which has been actually created it has to be created and Western has to help with that so we can actually know the corrupt leaders their accounts what are they taking but can you imagine with the mayor there's some guys coming to govern he never worked in his life he doesn't have money first year he becomes a millionaire he's taking the the tax that's been collected from the people he's buying land he's taking over the farms he's taking the you know the public they are not dumps but they don't want to again to become migrants it's like we start right now in Mogadishah I'm very sad about that you know it's going to be internal it's going to be internal war which is not needed and it's all happening by dumb all corrupt leaders who are only thinking by themselves people who are dying people like your age most of these corrupt leaders their kids are overseas they are looking for they are getting good education they are in a peaceful place but the people who are dying it's a poor people up here in order for them to stay in power and steal the wealth of their own country from their own people but I want to be part of that I want to accept that thing I consider Africa it's a one nation we are all brothers and sisters you know we look alike if I go to Ghana now they will consider me Ghanis I go to Itobi they consider me Itobi I go to Kenya they consider me Kenya so since you have love for the youth to take over Africa definitely you have a message for the youth watching us right now because I have a lot of youth watching us at this very moment what would be your message for them? just empower yourselves make a change if you don't change and actually take it to risk and what do you call the guts and endurance you will sustain the way you are we all going to be migrating to Europe and America why we are going there what the corrupt leaders in Africa since you youth are almost the majority of Africa now you need to take over your own country with one of the things that I'm actually proud of all of you it's been educated either online so I didn't stop my education I came back and also continued my education I get educated myself so one of the things that I encouraged them encouraged of you to get educated that's the best wealth it never goes away even if the worst dictator comes he will not siphon that from you he can take your money but he cannot take your knowledge I'm here in Somaliland a lot of things have been taken away from me but they will never get my knowledge I will create and again and again I will replicate the same thing so the youth they need to realize they can lead they can govern they can make the change for their own countries and to some extent to the continent otherwise we're going to be recognized again because in Europe it's finished there's no resources America is finished there's no resources Asia same thing Latin America to some extent the only thing the world has now is Africa abandoned of resources and to be honest with you humans are savage they're going to have an interest to come back and to colonize again and it's going to happen again if we don't stop the corrupt all leaders that's my message you live in a very beautiful environment you did all this by yourself I did this by myself and I'm enjoying it to be honest with you I love living here I love living I love living with my own people I'm an American citizen by the way but I love seeing black people I've seen the different change that's going on there's a change going I'm very much optimistic about the youth to become empowered by their own countries and I'm very optimistic there will be a transformation in Africa Africa is to govern and live by their own countries and their own continent rather than in a in a foreigner that's my what I'm trying to say is that Africa for Africans that's what he's trying to say that's the message we've got a lot of Africans living in the diaspora we have a message for them what would that message be my message is for them to come back to their own roots to their countries before they be kicked out where they are because Africans Africa belongs to Africans and Africans in diaspora lately as it's happens they've been actually experiencing what do you call racial discrimination stuff I actually like to see that most of the time they've been discriminating the Africans so I want them to come back to their own countries and to make the change and to be implemented what they have learned from there I really don't want them to remain there get educated get experience from there and to come back and implement that to your own countries and to your continent definitely with everybody Caucasian Asians Latinos whatever they all coming back to Africa I'll be honest with you all other continents their resources has been siphoned and it's been almost marginalized the only place is Virgin resources what do you call it population everything's in Africa so you all need to come back before you've been recolonized your own countries if you stay in Europe if you stay in America I guarantee you for the coming 20 20, 30 years you will get a visa you will ask visa to come back for your own countries and you'll be giving a visa and all that by Westerners for your own country and continent so you'll need to come back ASAP and help your own people help your own country I would say thank you so much for talking to me I appreciate your time and thank you so much for watching don't forget to like share and I'll see you in the next one thank you very much I know it's not a joke for you to come into here you are man bound to make a change I'm actually encourage you to continue with that I look forward to seeing you again and please brother keep continue to empower, to educate and to encourage young black Africans to become leaders and rulers and people who can make their own country and continent I appreciate you so much thank you