# Ethiopia, Somaliland Sign Trade and Infrastructure Agreement

> Somaliland Sun reported a trade and infrastructure agreement signed in 2014, covering Berbera Corridor, power and port talks.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 1 October 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Business and Costs
- Tags: procurement, construction-risk
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/ethiopia-somaliland-sign-trade-infrastructure-agreement

## Key points

- Somaliland Sun reported on 2014-11-16 that Somaliland and Ethiopian governments signed a trade and infrastructure agreement.
- The report says the Berbera Corridor, an electricity project and Berbera Port matters were discussed, with a joint technical committee stated to start on 8 December.
- The report does not establish any budget, contract value, financier, contractor, or that any project has since started or been completed.

On 16 November 2014, Somaliland Sun reported that the Somaliland and Ethiopian governments had signed a trade and infrastructure agreement, after a high-level Ethiopian ministerial delegation led by the Minister for Finance arrived in the country on the Thursday before publication.

Somaliland Sun reported that the agreement was signed for Somaliland by Foreign Minister Mohamed Younis Bihi and for Ethiopia by Minister for Finance Ahmed Sufyan. The report is the only source in this account. It does not reproduce the agreement document, and no independent confirmation of the signing, the signatories or the delegation is provided.

## What the two ministers said was discussed

Bihi, as reported by Somaliland Sun, said the parties agreed to cooperate on the Berbera Corridor construction project, described as the road between Berbera and the border town Tog-wajaale. He said Ethiopia would implement an electricity project aimed at expanding its low-priced hydro-electricity to Somaliland regions. He also said the two sides discussed how Ethiopia would partake in using and developing Berbera Port and route its business and trade activities through it. On that last point, the report records a discussion, not an Ethiopian commitment to use the port.

The same report attributes to Bihi the statement that a joint technical committee had been nominated and would commence operation on 8 December, and to Sufyan the statement that the appointed technical committee will make sure the accomplishment and realization of the provisions of the signed agreement. The report does not specify the year of that 8 December, and it does not establish that the committee has met or commenced work.

Somaliland Sun also reported that security, trade and investment issues were discussed, and that the Ethiopian delegation and Somaliland ministers jointly visited Berbera Port, the oil storage tanks, Berbera Airport and the road between Wajaale and Jigjiga. No outcome of that visit is reported.

## What the report does not establish

The report carries no funding source, budget, contract value or financing commitment for any item. No contractor, consultant, developer or operator is named for the Berbera Corridor, the electricity project or Berbera Port. No timeline, completion date, capacity figure or output quantity is given for any project. Sufyan is reported as saying the agreement will enhance the economies of Somaliland and Ethiopia, and the leader of the Ethiopian delegation is reported as saying the two sides have a long and historical relation. Both are statements by officials at the time, not measured outcomes.

The gap that matters for anyone tracking procurement is the period after the signing. Somaliland Sun's report of 2014-11-16 does not establish that the agreement was implemented, that it entered into force, or that it produced results. It does not establish that the Berbera Corridor project, the electricity project or any Berbera Port development was started, funded, contracted or completed. No project cost, budget or investment amount is stated anywhere in the report.

> **Note:** The signing date itself is not established in the report; 2014-11-16 is Somaliland Sun's report date. The terms, scope, duration and legal status of the agreement are not stated.

For contractors and investors, the usable facts are narrow: a reported signing, three named areas of discussion, a nominated committee with a stated 8 December start, and a joint site visit. The commercial detail that would allow anyone to price, bid for or finance work tied to this agreement is not in the report.

## Questions

### What infrastructure projects are included in the agreement?

As reported by Somaliland Sun, Somaliland Foreign Minister Mohamed Younis Bihi said the parties agreed to cooperate on the Berbera Corridor construction project, the road between Berbera and Tog-wajaale, and discussed an Ethiopian electricity project to expand low-priced hydro-electricity to Somaliland regions, as well as using and developing Berbera Port. The report does not reproduce the agreement, so its full scope is not established.

### How will the agreement facilitate trade between Ethiopia and Somaliland?

The report records that Bihi said the two sides discussed how Ethiopia would partake in using and developing Berbera Port and route its business and trade activities through it. The report does not establish that Ethiopia agreed to do so, and no trade volumes, tariffs or transit terms are stated.

### What are the next steps for implementation?

Somaliland Sun reported that Bihi said a joint technical committee had been nominated and would commence operation on 8 December, and that Ethiopian Minister for Finance Ahmed Sufyan said the committee will ensure realization of the agreement's provisions. The year of that date is not specified, and the report does not establish that the committee has commenced operations.

## Sources

- [Ethiopia and Somaliland Sign Trade and Infrastructure Agreement](https://somalilandsun.com/ethiopia-and-somaliland-sign-trade-and-infrastructure-agreement/) — Somaliland Sun, 2014-11-16