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New start in Germany: Afghan ex-minister is now driving out of Essen
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Leipzig – He studied at Oxford, lived in many countries and now works as a courier: Syed Sadaat’s story is currently going around the world. It is not a surprise for everyone.
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Syed Ahmad Shah Sadaat (50) now rides his bike very often in Leipzig to deliver food. © Hendrik Schmidt / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
The story sounds like a fairy tale – only with a reversed dramaturgy: Syed Ahmad Shah Sadaat (50) was once part of the government under President Aschraf Ghani (72) in Afghanistan, today he works as a courier driver for a food delivery company in Leipzig.
“I resigned after a close circle around the president put pressure on me,” says Sadaat. His story, about which the “Leipziger Volkszeitung“reported, currently busy media worldwide. According to researchers, it is not an isolated case.
On a free working day, Sadaat takes time to tell his story in a Leipzig café. He has lived in the Saxon city since December last year. Sadaat explains that he grew up in Afghanistan and came to Pakistan when he was twelve.
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He later studied engineering at Oxford, got two masters in telecommunications and worked for many different companies. “For around 20 networks in 13 countries,” says Sadaat, who claims to have both Afghan and British citizenship.
Sadaat’s exact biographical information cannot be verified. However, articles about him can still be found on the website of the Afghan Ministry of Communications. He was employed there in 2016, says Sadaat. “After interviewing President Ghani, he offered me a job as deputy technology minister.” Months later, the minister was dismissed and he himself moved up to the front row.
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“I wanted a safe, reliable network for my country”
Sadaat (50) was once part of the government of President Ashraf Ghani (72) in Afghanistan. © Hendrik Schmidt / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
Sadaat says that in his office he wanted to turn Afghanistan into a digital center for the region and install his own satellite for Afghanistan’s cell phone reception.
“I wanted a safe, reliable network for my country,” he says. But then in 2018 he resigned: A close circle around the president urged him to do so. “They wanted me to do illegal things, but I didn’t want to,” he says. Was it about corruption? Sadaat does not want to comment on this.
However, he frankly says that he came to Leipzig in December 2020. Although he is a British citizen, he has always wanted to learn another European language. “Germany is economically strong and there are many jobs in the telecommunications industry here,” he says. That is why he went to Germany after leaving Afghanistan.
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Instead of working for a large company, however, Sadaat now works as a courier for a large food delivery company. In an orange outfit and on a bicycle, he sometimes drives hundreds of kilometers a week through the city. The fact that he currently works for restaurants instead of representing the government or working for international companies doesn’t seem to bother him.
“I had several interviews with companies in my old line of business. But I was always told that I had to speak German to get a job,” he says. He is now learning the language every day.
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Foreign academics have a hard time in Germany
The fact that Sadaat is currently working for restaurants instead of representing the government or working for international companies doesn’t seem to bother him. © Hendrik Schmidt / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
From international expert and minister to pizza delivery man: As unbelievable as Sadaat’s story sounds, it comes as no surprise to scientist Herbert Brücker (61) from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) that an Afghan manager initially has problems on the labor market.
“In research we see that many academics have a hard time when they come to Germany,” says the head of the research area “Migration, Integration and International Labor Market Research”.
In a long-term study, the IAB, together with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), surveyed people who came to Germany between 2013 and 2016.
In contrast to Sadaat, the interviewees are refugees – but according to Brücker they also include Afghans, who, like the ex-minister, are well educated.
Many of them have to start from scratch despite their very good training, says Brücker. Anyone who used to be a lawyer or administrative officer in their home country can usually only do little with their degree here.
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Sadaat’s goal: a job at Telekom
The security situation in Afghanistan is currently anything but stable because of the Taliban. © Kathy Gannon / AP / dpa
It would be easier for doctors, for example, since their training is very similar in most countries. Even people with medium qualifications, such as craftsmen, could usually enter the labor market relatively easily.
Even if they do not have a formal professional qualification from their home country, their experience is often recognized in Germany.
Sadaat also hopes that his professional experience and knowledge of Afghanistan will be needed in Germany. He would like to work for Telekom – or for the German government.
As an advisor in the Foreign Office, Sadaat hopes that he will be able to pass on his experience with the Afghan government. His appeal: “The West must not turn its back on the Afghans now.”
The partners should continue to support the country financially – and achieve through agreements with the Taliban that human rights are guaranteed.
His real dream, however, is to return to Afghanistan one day and rebuild his country’s telecommunications there, says Sadaat. But it will take a long time before the security situation allows it. “I’ll wait and watch.”
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Cover photo: Hendrik Schmidt / dpa-Zentralbild / dpa
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