# Somaliland President Meets Berbera Port Free Zone Committee

> Somaliland Standard reported on 2018-08-14 that President Musa Bihi Abdi met the Berbera port Free Zone organizing committee in Hargeisa.

- 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: ports, utilities
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/somaliland-president-berbera-port-free-zone-committee

## Key points

- Somaliland Standard reported on 2018-08-14 that President Musa Bihi Abdi met the organizing committee in charge of the Berbera port Free Zone.
- The report said the discussion covered speeding up expansion and overseeing implementation of the deal signed between 'Dubia Ports World' and the Somaliland government.
- The report does not establish what has happened since, including whether any foundation was laid, what '400m' refers to, or the deal's terms.

On 14 August 2018, Somaliland Standard reported that Somaliland President Musa Bihi Abdi met with members of the organizing committee in charge of the Berbera port Free Zone. The meeting, the report said, took place on a Tuesday at the presidential mansion in Hargeisa. The report did not give the calendar date of that Tuesday.

The published account says the discussion focused on speeding up the expansion and modernization of the port and on overseeing implementation of the deal signed between Dubia Ports World and the Somaliland government. Somaliland Standard also referred to the company as DPW. The report gives no signing date, no terms, no value, no duration and no shareholding for that agreement, and it does not say what stage of implementation the deal had reached. It likewise does not state whether it sought comment from the company, the government or the committee.

According to the same report, the two sides held debates on coming up with a viable road map for the port to compete with other ports globally. The report does not say that a road map document was produced, adopted or published. It also says President Bihi listened to a briefing on current plans in the pipeline and on fulfilment of the agreement reached with DPW, without describing those plans. The report separately credits Bihi with thanking the committee for its efforts and urging it to double ongoing efforts toward what it describes as the desired goal of a modernized port in strong contest with neighbouring ports in the region.

The most concrete forward-looking element in the report is procedural: Somaliland Standard wrote that the Head of State will lay the foundation which will mark the beginning of the port expansion and the addition of 400m. The report does not date that event, does not state whether it had already occurred, and does not specify what the 400m measures. It is not evidence that construction began or that a foundation was laid. No contract value, budget or total project cost for the expansion appears in the report.

Somaliland Standard also characterised Bihi as being on a campaign of overseeing implementation of promises he pledged during the 2017 presidential elections. That is the newspaper's characterisation, not a finding of this report.

The report carries no detail on the organizing committee itself: no names, no member organizations and no roles. It establishes that the meeting was reported, not what it changed on the ground. Nothing in the 2018-08-14 account establishes what has happened since, including whether the foundation was laid, whether the road map debate produced anything, whether the DPW agreement was implemented, or where the free zone stands today.

## Questions

### Who attended the Berbera port Free Zone meeting?

Somaliland Standard reported on 2018-08-14 that President Musa Bihi Abdi met with members of the organizing committee in charge of the Berbera port Free Zone. The report does not name the committee members or their organizations.

### Did the meeting produce a road map for the port?

Somaliland Standard reported that the two sides held debates on coming up with a viable road map for the port to compete with other ports globally. The report does not state that a road map was produced or adopted.

### What does '400m' refer to in the report?

Somaliland Standard wrote that the Head of State will lay the foundation marking the beginning of the port expansion and the addition of 400m. The report does not state whether 400m refers to metres of quay, dollars or any other unit.

## Sources

- [Somaliland: President Receives Berbera Port Free Zone organizing committee](https://somalilandstandard.com/somaliland-president-receives-berbera-port-free-zone-organizing-committee/) — Somaliland Standard, 2018-08-14