# Berbera Port Expansion Claims in a 10 April 2016 Report

> Somaliland Sun's 10 April 2016 report said Ethiopian use would lift Berbera's regional viability; it records no cost, funder, contractor or completion.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 30 September 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Infrastructure and Services
- Tags: ports, utilities
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/berbera-port-expansion-claims-2016

## Key points

- On 10 April 2016 Somaliland Sun reported that Ethiopian use of Berbera port boosts its viability as a regional harbour, citing Vice President Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismael Sayli'i.
- The report records an agreement on the port's use concluded on 31 March 2016, attributed to the report itself, but gives no terms, duration or scope.
- It states no project value, contract value, total cost, funder, contractor, consultant or completion date, and provides no throughput or trade data.

On 10 April 2016 Somaliland Sun published a report bylined M.A. Egge headlined "Ethiopian Use of Berbera Port Boosts its Viability as a Regional Harbour." The framing is the newspaper's, and it is a claim in a 2016 report, not a documented effect.

The report says Vice President Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismael Sayli'i said the expansion and upgrading of Berbera port will boost its viability as a regional harbour, and that the recent Somaliland-Ethiopia agreement on the port's use would help it become a major hub and put it in a better position to compete with other harbours. Sayli'i, as reported by Somaliland Sun, said he had seen major construction under way in building the port's yards during an inspection tour. The headline and standfirst described expansion and upgrading works as proceeding "at speed," attributing that to the Vice President.

The same report records that an agreement on the use of the port was concluded between Somaliland and Ethiopia on 31 March 2016. That date and the agreement itself stand on Somaliland Sun's 10 April 2016 report. No terms, duration, signature venue or parties beyond "SL" and its "Ethiopian neighbor" are given.

Somaliland Sun described Berbera port as then undergoing major expansion, upgrading and face-lifting construction "going to" widen its capacity and allow more bulky importation. The report does not state whether that widening or the importation was achieved.

Two other officials are quoted. Information, Culture and National Guidance minister Osman Abdillahi Sahardiid, as reported by Somaliland Sun, said recent visitors could discern developmental steps taken so far and that the port, being a major state revenue source, will have its economic viability boosted. Berbera Port Manager Eng. Ali Hoor-hoor, the report says, welcomed the Vice President's delegation and gave a detailed outline of the works; that outline is not reproduced. Ethiopian state minister for foreign affairs Taye Atshe-Selassie, as reported by Somaliland Sun, praised Somaliland government efforts on security and stability and stressed that both governments should ensure bilateral relations bore fruit. Somaliland Sun, citing "the local press," reported that Taye received Somaliland Ambassador Aden Muse Jibril and that their talks mainly focused on the use of Berbera port.

What the report does not establish matters as much as what it records. It states no project value, contract value or total cost, and names no funder, contractor, consultant or engineer. It gives no quantities, specifications, scope of works or completion date, and no trade or throughput data evidencing Ethiopian use of the port. It does not say whether the expansion has since been completed, stalled, expanded or superseded, and it does not give the port's current operational capacity or throughput. The Vice President's expectation is an expectation, not a result.

## Questions

### What did the 10 April 2016 Somaliland Sun report say about Ethiopian use of Berbera port?

It framed Ethiopian use of Berbera port as boosting its viability as a regional harbour, a framing attributed to the report and its headline of 10 April 2016, and quoted Vice President Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismael Sayli'i as saying the recent Somaliland-Ethiopia agreement would help the port become a major hub and better compete with other harbours.

### What did the report say about the 31 March 2016 Somaliland-Ethiopia port agreement?

It records that an agreement on the use of the port was concluded on 31 March 2016, an account that stands on the Somaliland Sun report of 10 April 2016. It gives no terms, duration, signature venue or parties beyond "SL" and its "Ethiopian neighbor."

### Does the report give the cost, funder or contractor for the Berbera expansion?

No. It states no project value, contract value or total cost, and names no funder, contractor, consultant or engineer, no scope of works and no completion date.

## Sources

- [Ethiopian Use of Berbera Port Boosts its Viability as a Regional Harbour](https://somalilandsun.com/somaliland-ethiopian-use-of-berbera-port-boosts-its-viability-as-a-regional-harbour/) — Somaliland Sun, 2016-04-10