In brief
- The December 2025 BII study by Itad and Steward Redqueen estimates the port, its supply chains and the Berbera Economic Zone supported around 2,490 jobs and USD 45.1 million in value added in 2024.
- About 1,315 of those jobs are direct port jobs, per the same study.
- The figures are modelled estimates for 2024, and the study says the timing of Phase 2 remains uncertain.
Contents
British International Investment published an evaluation study of its Berbera port investment in December 2025, carried out by Itad and Steward Redqueen. It estimates that the port, its supply chains and the Berbera Economic Zone supported around 2,490 jobs and USD 45.1 million in value added in 2024, including about 1,315 direct port jobs.
What the source records
The study attributes the jobs and value added to 2024 activity around the port and zone. It also reports that container capacity rose from 150,000 TEU to 500,000 TEU after Phase 1, completed in 2021, with a draught of 17 m, a 400 m quay, three ship-to-shore gantry cranes and eight rubber-tyred gantry cranes. Vessel turnaround fell from 64 hours in 2018 to 25 hours in 2024, and the port's share of regional trade rose from 9% in 2017 to 14.3% in 2024, per British International Investment / Itad.
What it means on site
A workforce of this size implies steady demand for skills around the terminal and the zone: cargo handling, equipment maintenance, trucking and warehousing. Contractors and suppliers can ask the port operator and zone management which trades they hire directly and which they contract out, and whether any vendor registration or prequalification list is open. The study's capacity and turnaround figures describe the terminal the operator runs, not the terms of any works package.
What the source does not establish
The figures are modelled estimates for 2024 from a study commissioned by BII and FCDO, not a completed works record. Phase 2 is DP World's plan as summarised, and the study calls its timing uncertain. The study states that it is still too early to see the full impact of Phase 1, whose full capacity is not yet needed, and that the zone's impact remains under way. It does not establish the present condition of the port, the zone or their current headcount.
What to do next
For current employment and vendor figures, ask the Berbera port operator and the Berbera Economic Zone management office for their own records, and request the full December 2025 study from BII for the model and methods behind the 2024 estimates.
Sources
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Berbera and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.