As Pontus Marine awards the consultancy firm in recognition of successful public share issue worth $5m
By: Latifa Yusuf Masai
Somaliland sun – In less than 36 months Guul Group has transformed from an unknown consultancy firm operating in a one roomed office to a giant in Bridging the investment gap in Somaliland occupying an entire floor as office space in Hargeisa, from where it now aspires to handling portfolios worth over $100m by 2020.
The final stamp to this meteoric rise of Guul Group, a firm registered in both the United Kingdom and Somaliland was Pontus Marine which awarded it a certificate in recognition of consultancy services during the Pontus Marine Annual General Meeting
At the Pontus Marine First AGM that brought investors together at Guled Hotel in Hargeisa on the 21st of July 2016-07-24 the CEO of Guul Group proudly received on behalf of his firm the services recognition award from the managing Director of Pontus Marine Ahmed Abokor
“I’m pleased to say that the company is now fully operational; catching fresh fish every day and already supplying Somaliland as well as preparing for export to UAE” said the Pontus Marine MD adding that
“Guul Group’s spirit and dedication to our project was an integral part of the successful delivery. The services to Pontus Marine were excellent and their contribution to the team commendable. Again, I highly recommend Guul Group and would welcome their contribution to future phases of this public limited company”
The recognition was in relation to the services provided the fishing company by Guul Group which managed the issue of the company’s public share issue worth $5m, a landmark in its self-having been the first exercise of its nature to be undertaken in Somaliland.
While similar activities are a daily occurrence elsewhere in Somaliland where the concept of pubic share issue was novel, Guul Group had to cross many hurdles to make it not only possible but acceptable by skeptic prospective shareholders. Two examples witnessed by this writer sample best this dilemma
First was in Burao the capital of Toghdeer region where the youthful Guul Group CEO with the help of the managing Director of Pontus Marine Ahmed Abokor had to grapple with a query bugging the assembled prospective shareholders
“Why should we trust our money with Mohamed Yusuf (the brains behind Pontus Marine and owner of Petrosoma) who is now visibly jumping from oil exploration to fishery?
In Borame the regional capital of Awdal region prospective shareholders had different worries having observed that the man convinving them to stake a claim in the planned fishing conglomerate was a slender youthful man. (Since then the Guul Group has spotted a beard that adds a number of years to his age)
Apart from the Pontus Marine recognition and successful service provision most memorable of all and a great morale booster for Guul Group was participation of its CEO M. Guled Harun as company official representative at the UK – Somaliland Investment Forum held in London
Being involved in what will be the centerpiece of the Somaliland government’s first significant overseas investment drive is a great honour” said the GG boss after the event in which his firm was officially recognized as event sponsor together with others like Bollore Africa Logistics, Dahabshiil, Genel Energy, Mott Macdonald, Sterling Energy, Telesom and Pontus Marine among others.
Another milestone was achieved when West London Somaliland Community-WLSC recognized Guul Group as its 2013 achiever in the business category during a colourful ceremony held at Brunel University in London Chief Executive officer Mr. Mohamed Guleid proudly received the award
Speaking to Somaliland sun after receiving the award the youthful Guul Group CEO said,
“I was absolutely delighted to have received this award as part of an important ceremony in which many had been recognized for individual accomplishments and contributions to the Somaliland community globally”
Growing from strength to strength Guul Group has been involved in facilitating specialist conduit, consulting, contracting and facilitation services notable with the establishment of Somturk Energy, Construction and Trade; a group of companies operating in the fields of design, project preparation, contracting, manufacturing and procurement since its establishment in Ankara (2011), Turksom (as it is also known) has placed its mark on many prestigious and successful projects both in Turkey and Somaliland.
Similarly the fledgling firm was behind the first Oracle day to be held in Somaliland when Hargeisa joined 47 African Cities that concurrently Hosted Oracle Cloud Day Event on 17th April 2016
For the firm currently consulting Ambassador Hotel with Public relations services and with the Hargeisa based and country’s giant hospitality provider having just been awarded a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence the sky is the limit.
For in a short span of time, since its founder and CEO abandoned a secure life in the United Kingdom for the unknown and unchartered waters of his native Somaliland, Guul Group has created a unique space for entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative ideas, as well as share skills while providing a platform for capacity building and playing a role in accelerating innovations in Somaliland.
With ambitions to live up to its motto, Bridging the investment gap in Somaliland, the Guul Group management says its pride is in providing a myriad of excellent investment and trade facilitation services to attract foreign direct investment into Somaliland.
