# Burao Hawd Road Opened, Completion and Drainage Uncertain

> Somaliland Standard reported on 22 July 2020 that the transport minister opened the Hawd Road in Burao, but the report leaves funding, contractor, length…

- 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: roads, drainage
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/burao-hawd-road-opening-2020

## Key points

- Somaliland Standard reported on 22 July 2020 that the Minister of Transport and Road Development opened the new Hawd Road in Burao.
- The report attributes construction to the Somaliland Roads Development Agency and includes a 2km completion claim, but also notes remaining places and ongoing drainage works.
- No contractor, funder, contract value, or verified road length is given; the report does not establish the road's condition after the opening day.

On 22 July 2020, Somaliland Standard reported that the Minister of Transport and Road Development of the Republic of Somaliland, Hon. Abdallahi Abokor Osman, opened the new Hawd Road in Burao town. According to the report, the road was built by the Somaliland Roads Development Agency and is located in the southern outskirts of Burao.

Mr. Mustafa Farah Qallem, deputy director of the Somaliland Roads Development Agency and head of the construction works, said that the new road begins at Waasac Petrol Station and ends at the Hawd control. He described the road as developed by the Somaliland government, the Ministry of Transport and Road Development, the Roads Authority, and the local government.

The report includes competing descriptions of the road's extent. Another speaker, unnamed in the report, said the road began from Bar Siigo to Hawd Road with "some few places that still remain." Mr. Qallem stated that the Minister of Transport had promised two months earlier to complete the road, that they had completed it, and that they would complete the rest.

At the ceremony, the mayor of Burao, Mr. Mohamed Yusuf Abdirahman Murad, spoke about the road's completion. The Governor of Togdheer region, who was not named, said that according to elders, this is where overflows from the rest of the city converge.

Mr. Abdillahi Abokor Osman, the Minister of Transport and Road Development, said he was happy they had completed part of a project that had been waiting for a long time. He characterized the work as a two-kilometer (2km) road completed that day. He also acknowledged that building a road requires drainages to drain water out of the city boundaries and that, God willing, they would do something about it before the rains come. Another speaker said work was in process on constructing the drainages.

The Somaliland Standard report does not specify who funded the road, the total cost, the contractor, the consultant, or the original project schedule. The two-kilometer figure is an attributed claim by the Minister and is not independently verified in the report. The report does not establish what has happened to the road since 22 July 2020, and it contains internal inconsistencies about whether the road was fully completed, with some places still remaining and drainage works ongoing.

## Questions

### How long is the new road in Burao?

The Minister of Transport and Road Development claimed the road was two kilometers (2km) long as completed on the opening day, according to the Somaliland Standard report of 22 July 2020. This figure is not independently verified in the report.

### Who built the Hawd Road in Burao?

According to the Somaliland Standard report, the road was built by the Somaliland Roads Development Agency. Mr. Mustafa Farah Qallem, the deputy director, headed the construction works.

### Is the road fully completed?

The report contains conflicting statements. The deputy director and mayor said the road was completed, but another speaker said some few places still remain and drainage works were in process. The Minister said they had completed part of a project.

## Sources

- [Transport Minister Inaugurates a new road in the southern outskirts of Burao](https://somalilandstandard.com/transport-minister-inaugurates-a-new-road-in-the-southern-outskirts-of-burao/) — Somaliland Standard, 2020-07-22