Dubai – Mubasher: DP World on Sunday announced that it has started a multi-phase expansion of Berbera port, Somaliland.
The Port of Berbera is a key Red Sea gateway for the Middle East and Africa, Dubai's state-owned ports operator said.
DP World further noted that the expansion aims at increasing trade for landlocked countries in the Horn of Africa.
Under the project’s first phase, a 400-metre quay will be built in addition to a 25ha yard extension, the world's fourth-biggest ports operator.
Moreover, a free zone will be built within the project's first phase in an effort to create a regional trading hub, DP World said, giving no further details on the project's investment.
“We are delighted that construction work has begun, and over the next few years, we will see a transformation in the capacity of this major infrastructure asset that will benefit people both here and across the Horn of Africa,” Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP World, commented.
The new expansion will be managed by the joint venture company, DP World Berbera, in which Ethiopia has a 19% stake.
President of the Republic of Somaliland, Muse Bihi Abdi, labeled the launching of the first phase as “major milestone” in the development of the African country’s economy.
“Connecting to landlocked countries such as Ethiopia and the rest of the region will reinforce the firm relationships that now exist and make Somaliland an important player in regional economic integration and growth,” Bihi Abdi added.
