Latest news with #SaadMohseni
Al Arabiya
12-05-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Afghanistan isn't what you think – But it's still on the brink: Mohseni
Three years after the chaotic and abrupt US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the country remains under Taliban control – but the worst fears of a complete collapse have not come to pass. According to Saad Mohseni, founder of the Moby Group, the country is not as isolated or dysfunctional as many assume. Yet a litany of challenges remains, including economic collapse, humanitarian crises, and a lack of inclusive governance. 'American aid, which I think it's over 700 million last year, is down to zero,' Mohseni told Al Arabiya English's Hadley Gamble in an extended interview, referring to the recent decision by America's new Trump administration to sever foreign aid. 'Which requires the Taliban is going to have to step up. Absolutely.' 'People can leave the country. They can go into the country. We have three flights from Dubai. FlyDubai flies into Afghanistan daily. Flights from Turkey. They're not closed off,' he said. While the comment may seem surprising given the headlines, Mohseni insists the country remains physically and commercially accessible in ways many outsiders overlook. 'There's quite a bit of activity, especially from a lot of diaspora Afghans, who go and visit. The country is not sanctioned, per se. Unlike Syria, individuals are sanctioned, but the country is not, so you can go and do business. Technically speaking, there are opportunities. A lot of Chinese companies, Iranian companies, are active. But the economy is always on the verge of economic collapse. Yes, humanitarian crises.' Mohseni's Moby Group operates five television and radio networks and dozens of digital platforms in Afghanistan. Despite the Taliban's return to power, the company remains one of the country's largest employers in the media sector, including for women. 'We have 450 people. We have five TV and radio networks. We have dozens of digital platforms. It's not easy,' he admitted. 'We've had to make, you know, we've had to, you know, there were lots of concessions. Yes, compromises.' He described a media environment in which self-censorship is now a necessity, and visible signs of Taliban control are present on-air. 'We can't have music, we can't have soap operas, but otherwise, if you turn the TV on, at least for the first few minutes, it seems very normal. But our female presenters have to wear surgical masks to cover their mouths, as is required by the state. But they're still working. As a matter of fact, we have more women working for us in our news department today than we did in 2021.' Rather than retreating, Mohseni's group leaned into its public service role, especially in the realm of education, where girls remain barred from formal schooling beyond grade six. 'Television and online educational programming – and radio as well – is a bridge, basically,' he said. 'From the time that education was banned to a time when hopefully they'll reopen the schools. It is not an alternative to proper education, girls going to school, yes, but we felt that, you know, from grade seven onwards, girls are not allowed to go back, but they need to continue to learn.' The Moby Group launched curriculum-aligned educational programs in mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology. 'We could actually come up with really smart, interesting, engaging education programmes,' he said. 'These programs for grades seven, eight and nine initially, and now we've expanded beyond that – tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades – are very, very popular. Half the country's kids watch it, watch these programmes or listen to them.' In a more recent pilot, Moby has tested WhatsApp tutoring. The results, he says, are remarkable. 'We have a trial of WhatsApp, sort of tutoring program. And the kids who watch, these are the ones who are engaged by WhatsApp. Their numbers are 200 percent better. So we're seeing real change in terms of how it's impacting kids. And it's an extraordinary result for us, something to be very proud of.' The former investment banker turned media entrepreneur, returned to Afghanistan after 2001 and went on to build the country's largest independent media group operating under four successive regimes. His recently published book 'Radio Free Afghanistan' charts the rise of the media empire, the challenges of navigating war and censorship, and the cost of continuing to report freely in a country slipping back toward authoritarianism. Looking ahead, Mohseni remains cautiously optimistic that change is possible, but it hinges on both internal reform and external engagement. 'More inclusivity. They have to have a more inclusive governing body that reflects, you know, this very complicated country called Afghanistan that's multiethnic and diverse and so forth. And the other one is girls' education and women's rights. Yes, this is not a Western thing. This is an Afghan thing. And that's why I think it's important for Afghans from within Afghanistan and also outside to keep on pushing for this.'
Al Arabiya
12-05-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
‘They exploit what we have': Afghan media mogul on why China won't save Afghanistan
China, once heralded as a potential economic lifeline for post-Western Afghanistan, hasn't turned out that way according to Afghan media mogul, Saad Mohseni. With the exit of US troops and the collapse of the Western-backed Afghan government in 2021, Beijing was quick to signal interest – eyeing access to untapped rare earth minerals and regional infrastructure links through its Belt and Road Initiative. But those hopes, he says, have largely evaporated. 'It's dawned on the Taliban finally… the Chinese make a lot of promises but deliver very little,' Mohseni told Al Arabiya English's Hadley Gamble in an extended interview. 'They exploit what we have. They don't create jobs. It's all financing arrangements. Then they leave – but leave their people behind,' the founder and chief executive of the MOBY Group, told Gamble. China's involvement in Afghanistan, according to Mohseni, mirrors what the media mogul saw in Ethiopia: 'I mean, in Ethiopia, you know, I met a whole bunch of Chinese individuals who speak fluent Amharic, you know. And a lot of them came with Chinese projects, right, and then the Chinese left them there. And they are, you know, Chinese passport holders, but essentially Ethiopian today.' Mohseni said. 'So I think in Afghanistan also, there's this realization that the Chinese are not going to be that generous. Yes, that yes, they may assist them when it comes to humanitarian assistance, but otherwise, they look at opportunities, but they be very opportunistic, and it be what's good for China, not Afghanistan.' His comments come as the new Trump administration ramps up its efforts to counter Chinese influence globally. US officials have recently talked up rare earth prospecting talks in Greenland and Ukraine and are reportedly scouting for strategic mineral opportunities elsewhere – a sign of Washington's renewed focus on mineral security amid rising tariffs and economic tensions with Beijing. 'They exploit what we have. They don't create jobs. It's all financing arrangements. Then they leave – but leave their people behind,' he told Gamble. The disappointment with Beijing comes at a time of deep uncertainty in the region. Mohseni did not hold back when discussing uncertainty in the country's neighbour to the south, Pakistan. 'Pakistan is… it's almost like a curse. You're damned if you turn away from it, and you're damned if you don't. But you have to remember – it's a nation of 250 million people, 120 nuclear warheads. It's facing an economic crisis it's been dealing with for many years. It's got a political crisis – with perhaps its most popular politician ever behind bars. It has an insurgency challenge – with ISIS, the TTP, and Baluchi separatists active,' he cautioned. Mohseni's Moby Group operates five television and radio networks and dozens of digital platforms in Afghanistan, which, having launched in 2001, has operated under four successive regimes. Reflecting on the disastrous 2021 withdrawal, which saw the Afghan government fall to the Taliban in a matter of days and the country descend into chaos under the Biden administration, he sees potential for the US to return – but only under very different terms. 'I think Biden just didn't like the region, didn't like Afghanistan, didn't like Afghans. And his plan was not thought through. They decided mid-April to leave, and they left by the end of August. It wasn't well planned, as we saw. And it'll be forever a stain… on America's reputation.' He believes a second Trump administration might take a more pragmatic, interest-driven approach. 'The Trump administration could benefit from engaging with the Taliban when it comes to rare earths. Better the US than China,' he said. 'Absolutely. And I think it's also to deprive the Chinese of securing Afghanistan's rare minerals.' 'The Americans may shy away from directly engaging, and I think there's going to be an opportunity for them to engage via the region… I mentioned the Qataris, and of course, others too.' he said. But his critique doesn't end with foreign policy. Mohseni is also deeply focused on the crumbling infrastructure of legacy journalism – and what it means for influence in a world shaped increasingly by platform algorithms and personal brands. 'It's going to be a slow death. Yes. But it'll happen eventually,' he said, when asked about brands like CNN and MSNBC. 'These kids can just churn out content… with a live focus group of 500,000 viewers. There are now two distinct media paths – and legacy brands aren't on the faster one.' 'It's the Hadley Gambles of the world who give platforms credibility – not the other way around.' For Moby Group, which continues to operate inside Afghanistan with 450 staff across TV, radio, and digital networks, the future lies in adapting to the next generation of news consumers. 'We're launching a number of platforms, basically for a younger generation, for sort of the Generation Z of Ys, in our neck of the woods,' Mohseni said.
