In brief
- On 6 March 2016, Goobjoog News reported that IHH and the Islamic Development Bank were building 36 solar-powered water wells in Somalia at a cost of over $6 million.
- IHH vice chairman Yavuz Dede told Goobjoog News that the wells would be 300-500 metres deep, cost about $170,000 each, and were targeted for completion by 2017.
- The 2016 report does not establish whether any of the wells were ever completed or handed over, and no later evidence appears in the record.
Goobjoog News reported on 6 March 2016 that Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) and the Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) were building 36 solar-powered water wells in Somalia at a cost of over $6 million.
According to the Goobjoog News report, IHH vice chairman Yavuz Dede said the wells would be deep groundwater wells with depths of around 300 to 500 metres. Dede said each well cost around $170,000 and that, on completion, the project would represent a total investment of $6.1 million.
The report attributed the financing division to Dede: the Islamic Development Bank finances the wells and IHH provides the manpower. IHH aimed to complete the wells by 2017, according to Dede.
Goobjoog News also reported that IHH had built around 6,000 water wells in Africa so far and builds around 550 wells annually worldwide. These figures were given by Yavuz Dede and are self-reported by IHH, not independently verified in the report.
The report said the foundation would train people in Somalia on how to use the wells. It did not state that any training had taken place.
The 2016 report does not establish what has happened since. No completion record, later follow-up or evidence of handover appears in the Goobjoog News article. The report does not name a contractor, drilling company or engineering consultant, and it gives no specific locations for the wells.
Yavuz Dede’s quoted figures carry a small discrepancy. The per-well cost of about $170,000 multiplied by 36 wells gives about $6.12 million, close to the $6.1 million completion total, but the report also says the wells cost over $6 million. The Goobjoog News article does not reconcile these figures.
The report is set against a broader backdrop. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Lutfi Elvan said Turkey’s investment in Somalia had reached around $100 million, an aggregate figure of unspecified scope and period. Goobjoog News cited UN figures stating that more than 13 million people across the Horn of Africa were affected by drought and that more than 4.7 million people in Somalia needed humanitarian assistance. The UN source document is not linked.
No evidence in the 2016 report confirms that IDB financing was disbursed or contracted, or that any well was drilled.
Frequently asked questions
Where in Somalia were the 36 wells being built?
The Goobjoog News report does not specify any regions or sites.
How deep were the planned wells?
IHH vice chairman Yavuz Dede said the wells would be about 300 to 500 metres deep, according to Goobjoog News.
Were the wells completed by 2017?
The 2016 article only states an aim to complete by 2017. No later report in the record confirms completion.