In brief
- On 2013-04-19 Somaliland Sun reported that UK-funded works at Berbera international airport had been completed and commissioned for use.
- The report, citing minister of aviation Mahmud Abdi Hashi, put the UK contribution at $300,000 and said wind-powered electricity supplied the entire airport.
On 19 April 2013, Somaliland Sun reported that UK-funded works at Berbera international airport had been completed. The report attributed the completion and commissioning claim to minister of aviation Mahmud Abdi Hashi, who said the developments "were made possible by British people and government through a contribution of $300, 000".
According to the same report, the minister said the airport had installed security lights around the entire perimeter and that the perimeter had been fenced. Somaliland Sun also reported that wind-powered electricity was then supplying the entire airport, and that Berbera was the first public or private institution in the country to be fully powered by wind-generated electricity.
What the report described
- The minister of aviation, Mahmud Abdi Hashi, announced the works as commissioned for use, per Somaliland Sun's 2013-04-19 report.
- The UK contribution was cited at $300,000, in the minister's quoted remarks.
- The perimeter fence and security lights were described as installed, on the minister's account.
- Wind power was described as supplying the whole airport.
- Somaliland Sun reported that the airport was seeking a wind-powered electrician to operate the installed equipment.
The report also placed Berbera in a wider aviation picture. Somaliland Sun reported on 2013-04-19 that Berbera was then carrying the bulk of air traffic to Somaliland because of ongoing works at Egal international airport in Hargeisa, and that Berbera was a beneficiary of a chunk of $10 million in airport development funds donated by the Kuwaiti government. No agreement date, allocation figure to Berbera, disbursement status or list of works accompanies that claim in the report.
What the 2013 report does not establish
The report gives a commissioning statement and a funding figure, not a project record. It does not name the contractor, consultant or scope of the UK-funded works, does not break the $300,000 down by purpose, and does not state whether that sum was fully spent or what the total project cost was. It gives no installed wind capacity, output or equipment specification. It does not state whether a wind-powered electrician was ever recruited. It does not say what the Kuwaiti funds were allocated to at Berbera, or whether any of that money was disbursed.
The bigger gap is time. The report is dated 2013-04-19 and establishes nothing about Berbera airport since that date. It does not show whether the lighting, perimeter fence or wind installation were maintained, replaced or remain in service. It does not show whether the airport still carried the traffic share described, since the Egal works that diverted traffic are not reported as finished. On the evidence of this report, the completion claim rests on a minister's statement as reported by Somaliland Sun, and the condition of the works today is unrecorded.
Frequently asked questions
What was upgraded at Berbera airport?
Somaliland Sun reported on 2013-04-19 that the airport installed security lights around the entire perimeter and that the perimeter was fenced, according to minister of aviation Mahmud Abdi Hashi. The report does not give a full scope of works.
What was the total cost of the UK-funded works?
The report cites a UK contribution of $300,000, in the aviation minister's quoted remarks. It does not state a total project cost or whether the $300,000 was fully spent. The document gives only the dollar sign, not a currency name.
Who was the contractor?
The report does not name a contractor, consultant or implementer for the UK-funded works.