Thousands of Italians settled in Mogadishu and founded small manufacturing companies . They also developed some agricultural areas in the south near the capital , such as Janale and the Villaggio duca degli Abruzzi ( present @-@ day Jowhar ) . In the 1930s , new buildings and avenues was built . A 114 km ( 71 mi ) narrow @-@ gauge railway was laid from Mogadishu to Jowhar . An asphalted road , the Strada Imperiale , was also constructed and intended to link Mogadishu to Addis Ababa .