In brief
- Somaliland signed a USD 70 million agreement to modernise Egal International Airport in Hargeisa, according to Hiiraan Online on 17 September 2025.
- The ministry named new terminals, a refurbished runway and upgraded navigation systems, with construction phased to start within six months.
- No financing, contract documents or construction are evidenced in the report, so the figure remains an announced one.
Contents
Hiiraan Online reported on 17 September 2025 that Somaliland had signed a USD 70 million agreement with the International Maharat Investment Company to modernise Egal International Airport in Hargeisa. The report says Civil Aviation and Airports Development Minister Fuad Ahmed Nuh formalised the deal on Tuesday 16 September 2025 at the Dubai International Financial Centre.
What the source records
According to Hiiraan Online, the agreement covers new terminals, a refurbished runway and upgraded navigation systems. The ministry said construction would begin within six months, in phases, to avoid major disruption, and called the project the largest investment ever made in Somaliland's aviation infrastructure and the second-largest foreign investment after DP World. The same report states that local reporters could not locate the company in Dubai business registries, found no visible online presence and no evidence of earlier projects under the name.
What it means on site
For anyone planning work at or near the airport, the near-term effects are on phasing, access and site logistics. A phased programme on a live airfield normally means restricted working windows, security escorts, and spoil and material movements scheduled around flight operations. Those are general practices, not rules set out in the report. Ask the airport operator and the ministry how mobilisation, laydown areas and haul routes would be arranged. Contractors weighing a role in the works can ask the ministry's procurement office and the airport's engineering department whether tender documents exist and which packages are open.
What the source does not establish
Hiiraan Online does not establish that financing is in place, that contracts have been awarded or that any construction has started. The USD 70 million is an announced figure. The ministry said six months; the report is dated 17 September 2025 and its checking stopped there. It records no company registration details, ownership or track record, and says Somaliland officials had not responded to requests for documentation on the company's legal status. The report also notes the airport's last major rehabilitation, in 2012 to 2013, and a 2014 pilot wind project. Whether the announced works have progressed would appear in a signed contract, a financing agreement, a tender award notice or a site mobilisation record from the ministry, the airport operator or the investor.
What to do next
Ask the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airports Development, and the airport operator, for three documents: the signed agreement, evidence of committed financing, and any tender or award notice for the first phase. A signed contract is the record that confirms scope and dates.
Frequently asked questions
Has construction started at Egal International Airport?
The report does not say that. Hiiraan Online recorded the ministry's statement that construction would begin within six months of the 16 September 2025 signing, and no evidence of construction or financing. Ask the ministry and the airport operator for a mobilisation record or award notice.
What does the USD 70 million figure cover?
The source describes it as an agreement value for new terminals, a refurbished runway and upgraded navigation systems. It does not give a breakdown by package or a payment schedule.
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.