# World Bank Rolls Out $9m Road Rehab for Mogadishu, Garowe

> Goobjoog News reported on 2018-09-08 that the World Bank rolled out a $9m Somali Urban Resilience Project for road rehabilitation in Mogadishu and Garowe…

- 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: roads, procurement, utilities
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/world-bank-9m-roads-mogadishu-garowe

## Key points

- On 8 September 2018, Goobjoog News reported that the World Bank rolled out a $9 million urban infrastructure project covering road rehabilitation in Mogadishu and Garowe, with later extension to Baidoa and Kismayu.
- The report detailed 19 roads in 7 districts of Mogadishu (7.5 km, $6.5 million) and four roads in Garowe (4.4 km, $2.5 million), with job projections of 330 and 250 short-term jobs respectively.
- No evidence is provided on contracts signed, works started, or funds disbursed since that date.

On 8 September 2018, Goobjoog News reported that the World Bank had rolled out a $9 million urban infrastructure development project in Somalia, covering road construction in Mogadishu and Garowe with subsequent extension to Baidoa and Kismayu.

According to the report, the project, dubbed the Somali Urban Resilience Project (SURP), was the first national test case for municipal infrastructure delivery aimed at strengthening public service delivery capacity at sub-national level, the Bank said. The project was expected to be completed in 36 months, the global lender said on Thursday.

Hugh Riddell, World Bank Country Representative for Somalia, was quoted as saying, “The World Bank’s role in Somalia is about working with and through government and building the capacity of the authorities to spearhead reform and development,” and that SURP would build on initial urban resilience work and expand it across the country.

The Mogadishu component, according to Goobjoog News, involved rehabilitation of approximately 19 roads in 7 districts covering an estimated 7.5 km at a cost of $6.5 million. Garowe’s second component, billed at $2.5 million, would go to construction and rehabilitation of roads in Puntland's administrative capital, covering four roads over 4.4 kilometres. The funds would construct a total of 11.9 km of road, the report said.

According to the project Information Documents cited by Goobjoog, the Mogadishu rehabilitation would generate 330 short-term jobs and Garowe a further 250.

> **Note:** The report does not establish what has happened since 8 September 2018. No contracts, start dates, disbursements, or completed works are evidenced in the source. The procurement plan figures given ($2.4 million consulting, $3.2 million construction) total $5.6 million, which does not match the stated $6.5 million Mogadishu component cost.

The second phase, the Bank said, would be implemented in Baidoa and Kismayu, with $21 million secured for infrastructure rehabilitation in the two towns. The German Government announced EUR 23.4 million through KfW Development Bank in January 2018 to support urban infrastructure rehabilitation in Somalia, though the report does not link that funding to SURP.

No primary World Bank documentation is available in the source, and no named contractors or implementing agencies for either Mogadishu or Garowe were identified.

## Questions

### Which roads are covered by the World Bank project?

According to Goobjoog News, the Mogadishu component covers approximately 19 roads in 7 districts (7.5 km), and the Garowe component covers four roads over 4.4 km.

### When will tenders be issued for the road works?

The report dated 8 September 2018 does not state when tenders will be issued or provide any procurement timeline.

### Who is the implementing agency for the project?

The source does not name an implementing agency. It only quotes World Bank Country Representative Hugh Riddell on working through government.

## Sources

- [World Bank unveils $9m roads rehabilitation projects for Mogadishu and Garowe](https://en.goobjoog.com/world-bank-unveils-9m-roads-rehabilitation-projects-for-mogadishu-and-garowe/) — Goobjoog News, 2018-09-08