Somali Opens Mogadishu's First Dry Cleaners in Decades

Somali Opens Mogadishu's First Dry Cleaners in Decades A businessman has opened a dry cleaners in Somalia's capital - the city's only one, and its first since the start of the civil war more than 2 decades go. "When they read 'Somali Premium Laundry', they say, 'wow, is this a real laundry? Is this place open?'" Sheik is aware that he will face many challenges running his business in a country that has been at war for most of his life. "It's very hard to find people in Mogadishu who know about dry cleaning. The dry cleaners has been road-tested for a few weeks prior to the grand opening on Friday afternoon, which coincides with Sheik's 24th birthday. He says people can't quite believe their eyes when they see his sign. Finding a suitable premises was also a problem. "Because the city is more peaceful now, everyone is running to find a place to open a business. "Setting up a laundry in Mogadishu was really difficult. "They either took them themselves, or gave them to friends who were flying to Nairobi. Government officials have provided Sheik with one guard at night and two throughout the day. "My dad, friends and people in the government were taking their clothes to be dry cleaned in Kenya," Sheik said. Sheik also noticed businessmen would take suits abroad to clean them. Although most al-Shabab fighters have been driven out of Mogadishu, the city is by no means safe. With no experience in the cleaning industry, he spent his leisure time picking up skills at a dry cleaners owned by a friend. People are going to the beach, opening restaurants, hotels and other businesses. The Islamist al-Shabab militia, which is fighting the UN-backed interim government, still controls much of the south of the country, but since it was forced from Mogadishu, the city is coming back to life. He told the BBC the city's security had improved in the last 10 months, since Islamist militants were pushed out by African Union and government forces. Somali Opens Mogadishu's First Dry Cleaners in Decades Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 09/06/2012