In brief
- Somaliland Standard reported on 5 July 2025 that the Roads Development Agency started asphalt works on the first ten-kilometre section of the Balligubadle-Hargeisa road.
- The reported section links Gunburaha district to Magaalo Xaali and was described at a ceremony the agency and ministry officials attended.
- The report does not give a completion date, the total road length or a cost, and the quality description came from the officials present.
Contents
Somaliland Standard reported on 5 July 2025 that the Somaliland Roads Development Agency began laying asphalt on the first ten-kilometre section of the Balligubadle-Hargeisa road. The report describes a ceremony at the start of the work, attended by government ministers and agency officials, and places the section between Gunburaha district and Magaalo Xaali.
What the source records
According to Somaliland Standard, the section connects Gunburaha district to Magaalo Xaali and covers one of the more difficult stretches of the route. The report attributes the description of the material as high-quality "Rooga" asphalt to officials from the Roads Development Agency and the Ministry of Transport and Road Development. It also notes that the work follows a foundation-laying ceremony by President Muse Bihi Abdi.
What it means on site
What happens on a ten-kilometre asphalt section is a defined sequence: prepare and compact the subgrade and base, prime and tack the surface, then lay and compact the asphalt in lifts at a temperature the mix design and the engineer's specification set. A builder or supplier near the route can ask the agency's site office which plant and which asphalt source are on the job, and what thickness and compaction the specification requires. Asphalt normally needs dry weather and a hot mix, so the practical window runs between the Gu and Deyr rains.
What the source does not establish
This is a ceremony report. It gives no completion date for the ten-kilometre section, no total length for the full road and no cost, so none of those can be stated here. The as-of date is 5 July 2025, and the report does not describe the present condition of the route or what has happened since. The quality description is the officials' own. A paving schedule, a completion certificate or a site inspection by the Roads Development Agency would show the current state of the work.
What to do next
Ask the Roads Development Agency office in Hargeisa, or the district office at Gunburaha, for the approved section drawing, the paving schedule and the date of the last site instruction. Request a written copy rather than a verbal update.
Sources
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Hargeisa and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.