The Berbera Corridor road upgrade project, financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the Hargeisa Bypass Road funded by UK Aid, is now all set for completion in quarter four, 2021 and quarter three 2022, respectively. The road will link to the prevailing modern highway on the Ethiopian side and position Berbera as a direct, fast, and efficient trade route for Ethiopian transit cargo.
The President of Somaliland, His Excellency Muse Bihi Abdi, stated, “This is a proud and historic moment for Somaliland and its people, as the completion of the first phase has made our vision of establishing Berbera with its strategic location into a major trade hub in the region a reality. With the new terminal, along with the second phase of expansion and economic zone along the Berbera corridor, we are now confidently placed to further develop and grow our economy through improved trade, drawing foreign direct investment and creating jobs”.
UAE based leading provider of integrated logistics solutions, and the Government of Somaliland, today inaugurated the new container terminal at Berbera Port, following achievement of the first phase of the port’s expansion as part of its development into a chief regional trade hub to serve the Horn of Africa.
The new container terminal with a deep draft of 17m, a quay of 400m and 3 ship to shore (STS) gantry cranes, has the capacity to handle the largest container vessels in operation today, and upsurges the port’s container capacity from current 150,000 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) to 500,000 TEUs per year. The terminal also includes a modern container yard with 8 rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTGs). A new port One Stop Service Centre is also presently being built and will be ready in quarter 3 this year.
The new terminal was officially inaugurated by His Excellency Muse Bihi Abdi, President of Somaliland, and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, at a special event joined by over 200 guests, including a Government delegation from Ethiopia, which was led by their Excellencies Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance and Dagmawit Moges, Minister of Transport. The event also involved a symbolic ground-breaking for the new Berbera Economic Zone, the first phase of which is under construction.
The economic zone is linked to the port and strategically located along the Berbera to Wajaale road (Berbera Corridor). The economic zone will be built to serve as a centre of trade with the goal to attract investment and create jobs, and will target a range of industries, together with warehousing, logistics, traders, manufacturers, and other related sectors. It will also let producers, suppliers, and customers to function in a favourable and competitive environment for investment and trade.