In brief
- On 19 June 2018, Goobjoog News reported that Hirshabelle president Mohamed Abdi Waare welcomed a 16 June 2018 Ethiopia-Somalia agreement.
- Waare said Hirshabelle hopes Adale port should be part of port constructions and that roads connecting Ethiopia and Hirshabelle to the ports would be an opportunity.
- The report does not establish that Adale was included in the deal, nor any cost, funder, builder, timeline or decision.
On 19 June 2018, Goobjoog News reported that the president of Hirshabeel state, Mohamed Abdi Waare, welcomed what the outlet described as a historic agreement signed on 16 June 2018 between the governments of Ethiopia and Somalia. The report does not state the agreement's signatories, venue, terms or text, and it does not establish what has happened to it or to the ports investment proposal since that date.
According to Goobjoog News, Waare told the nation's media that Hirshabelle has a big interest in investments in the deal. He said Hirshabelle borders Ethiopia and welcomed converting a former trading centre, now a military camp, into an immigration centre. The report does not name the location or the facility.
On the port question, Waare's position was a hope, not a decision. He said he hoped Adale port in Hirshabelle should be part of the port constructions, so that the local administration could get cheap internet, electricity and other important services for the Horn of Africa community, as quoted by Goobjoog News.
He also described roads as an opportunity: it is a great opportunity for the people of Hirshabeel to build roads connecting Ethiopia and Hirshabeel to the ports, including the ports of Hirshabeel, where many residents can be employed. That is an aspirational statement. No road has been reported as built, planned, tendered, funded or costed, and no job figures have been documented.
What is not established
Goobjoog News does not report any formal request, submission or filing by Hirshabelle or its president to have Adale included in the deal. It records a welcome and a call. It also does not report any response from the Federal Government of Somalia or from Ethiopia.
The report provides no builder, funder, developer, client or consultant for any Adale port works. It states no cost, contract value, budget, timeline, tender or procurement record for any Adale port or road project. It does not identify the site Waare described as a former trading centre now a military camp and proposed as an immigration centre.
The content of the 16 June 2018 agreement is not in the report, so nothing can be said about whether it covers Adale, another port or any specific infrastructure. The report also does not say whether the agreement was implemented, funded or operational. Goobjoog News reported the agreement was signed; that claim carries the outlet's attribution.
What happens next
There is no further reporting in the source on the agreement, the ports deal or the Adale proposal after 19 June 2018. The open questions are whether any official act followed Waare's call, whether the deal addressed Adale at all, and whether any port or road work was ever scoped, costed or procured. On the evidence available, none of that is established.
Frequently asked questions
What did the Hirshabelle president say about the Ethiopia-Somalia ports agreement?
Mohamed Abdi Waare, president of Hirshabeel state, told the nation's media that Hirshabelle has a big interest in investments in the deal and welcomed the 16 June 2018 agreement, as reported by Goobjoog News on 19 June 2018. He said he hoped Adale port should be part of the port constructions.
Was Adale port included in the agreement?
The report does not say. Adale's inclusion is presented as Waare's hope, not as a decision. The content of the 16 June 2018 agreement is not stated in the source.
What has happened since the president's statement?
The source does not report anything after 19 June 2018. There is no documented official act, cost, funder, timeline or construction linked to the Adale proposal.