# Berbera Port first phase nearing completion, official says

> Somaliland's deputy ambassador said the Berbera Port first phase was nearly complete as of June 12, 2020. Current status unknown.

- 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-first-phase-nearing-completion

## Key points

- On June 12, 2020, Somaliland Standard reported that Deputy Ambassador Barkhad Mohamoud Kaariye said the first phase of the Berbera Port expansion was nearing completion and would be finalized that year.
- The ambassador put the project's total value at $442 million and said DP World holds 51%, Somaliland 30%, and Ethiopia 19% under a tripartite investment agreement.
- The report does not establish what has happened since June 2020; no contractor, disbursement, or current status update is provided.

On 12 June 2020, Somaliland Standard reported that the first phase of the Berbera Port expansion was to be finalized that year, citing an interview in The Ethiopian Herald with Somaliland Deputy Ambassador Barkhad Mohamoud Kaariye. The ambassador said the first phase was nearing completion.

All figures and claims from the report carry the attribution to the deputy ambassador as relayed by Somaliland Standard. The multi-purpose project is "worth a total of 442 million USD," according to the ambassador.

Under a tripartite investment agreement on Berbera Port, the ambassador said, Ethiopia holds 19 percent, DP World holds 51 percent, and Somaliland holds 30 percent. He described a multi-million economic free zone in Berbera that would boost the port's function, without giving a value or currency.

The facility is said to cover a 400-metre quay and a 250,000 square metre yard. The ambassador said the port will handle mother-ships from across the world and open an additional sea outlet for Ethiopia, benefiting its import-export business. He also said the project will create employment for the youths of Ethiopia and Somaliland, without providing job numbers or timelines.

A dual carriageway connecting Ethiopia and Somaliland is under construction, the ambassador said, with its first 12 km "cut the ribbon by the President of Somaliland Muse Bihi Abdi last week."

The June 2020 report does not identify any contractor, consultant, or client for the port works. It gives no engineering or project management records to support the status of the first phase, no details on funding disbursements, and no current status update. The article does not establish what has happened since the report.

## Questions

### What work had been completed on the Berbera Port first phase by June 2020?

Deputy Ambassador Barkhad Mohamoud Kaariye said the first phase was nearing completion as of 12 June 2020. No contractor or engineering records were provided to support that statement.

### What is the revised completion date for the first phase?

In June 2020, the deputy ambassador said the first phase would be finalized that year. No later update is available in the report.

### Who are the contractors and subcontractors?

The June 2020 report does not name any contractor, consultant, or client for the Berbera Port expansion.

## Sources

- [Berbera Port first phase construction nearing completion](https://somalilandstandard.com/berbera-port-first-phase-construction-nearing-completion/) — Somaliland Standard, 2020-06-12