A former Afghan minister who became fed up with the government’s corruption is now working as a takeaway delivery driver in Germany.
Syed Saadat packed his bags and left Afghanistan for Leipzig in 2020, after quitting his ministerial role.
He was able to settle in Europe as he has dual Afghan-British citizenship. He decided to start a new life in Germany, where he believed there would be opportunities for secure employment.
Earning 15 euros (£12) an hour, Syed makes his wage couriering meals via bicycle for Lieferando, a German branch of food delivery service Just Eat.
Syed, who spent two years working for the government, said there was “no shame” in his new occupation.
“Work is work,” he pointed out.
“If there is a job, it means there is public demand… Someone has to do it.”
Standing in his orange uniform next to his bike, the 49-year-old told Reuters he had quit the Afghan government due to disagreements with members of the president’s circle.
“Their demands were for private benefit, I wanted the money for government projects to be implemented properly," he explained.
“So I could not fulfil their demands and then they tried to push me, put pressure on me from the President’s side.”
While he seems content with his new gig, Syed has taken a decent reduction in pay.
His pay cheque now just about covers his expenses, which includes 420 euros for rent.
Syed has two masters degrees in IT and telecommunications, both of which he obtained from Oxford University, and had built a 23-year-long career working for more than 20 companies in 13 different countries.
His impressive resume includes employment as a technical adviser to Afghanistan’s communication and information ministry from 2005 to 2013, and the chief executive officer of Ariana Telecom in London from 2016 to 2017.
Despite this, he found it difficult to pursue a relevant career in Germany due to his lack of language skills.
He is currently working to overcome this, spending four hours in the morning at a German language school before starting his six-hour shift on the bike.
According to iNews reports, he believed he could work as an advisor within the German government.
“I can advise the German government on Afghanistan so that the Afghan people can benefit because I reflect the true picture there,” he said.
Syed is one of thousands of Afghans who have settled in Germany over the past few years.
The number is expected to increase over coming months, following the withdrawal of US troops in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s resurgence.
