Skip to main content

Ethiopia-Somalia road project underway

Work is now starting on the 234km road that will connect the Ethiopian town of Togochale with Berbera Port in neighbouring Somalia. The project is being carried out in three phases and will cost US$400 million in all, with this first 72km section costing some $90 million. The project is of key importance to both countries, as well as for East Africa’s economy as a whole. Landlocked Ethiopia’s economy has been growing healthily in recent years but has been constrained by a lack of access to a port. Meanwhile
March 11, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

Work is now starting on the 234km road that will connect the Ethiopian town of Togochale with Berbera Port in neighbouring Somalia. The project is being carried out in three phases and will cost US$400 million in all, with this first 72km section costing some $90 million. The project is of key importance to both countries, as well as for East Africa’s economy as a whole. Landlocked Ethiopia’s economy has been growing healthily in recent years but has been constrained by a lack of access to a port. Meanwhile Somalia’s political instability in past years has held back its economy, although a return to stability has been achieved in recent times, with a corresponding improvement in its GDP.

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development is providing the financing for the road project, following agreements signed in 2018 with the Ethiopian Government and the Somalian Government. The plan will also see development work to upgrade the facilities at Berbera Port. Improvements to the road and port facilities will help trade between the two countries, as well as international trade for both.

Related Content

  • Building Georgia’s transport connections to its neighbours
    October 26, 2016
    Georgia’s government aspires to turn the country into a regional transport-transit hub, and with renovated and expanded transportation infrastructure it knows that the country can offer significant opportunities to others in the region, and globally – Gordon Feller writes The Caucasus Transit Corridor (CTC) is the key transit-route between Western Europe and Central Asia for oil and gas, as well as dry cargo. CTC is part of TRACECA (TRAnsport Corridor Europe to Central Asia). This is the shortest route
  • Boom in Asian infrastructure investment
    February 8, 2012
    Investment in China and India continues unabated, but other nations on the continent are eager to attract companies as Patrick Smith reports Asia is still booming despite the current economic crisis, and new infrastructure programmes are constantly coming on stream. Powerhouses China and India, with their double-digit growth figures and huge infrastructure plans (in scope and cost), are leading the way and are still magnets for businesses wishing to expand, both in terms of facilities and customers. But oth
  • Armenia north-south highway route
    October 9, 2017
    Plans are being drawn up in Armenia for the new North-South Highway project. Measuring some 556km in all, the project is expected to cost in excess of US$2 billion to construct, although there it is possible that the final pricetag will be somewhat higher. The country's Ministry of Transport says that the southern section of the highway between Artashat and Megri will cost $1.5 billion to build alone.
  • Kenya connection under construction
    July 26, 2017
    Construction work is underway on the road improvement project between Kenya’s premier port of Mombasa and the town of Mariakani. The project will see the A109 route being widened and upgraded and is costing nearly US$59 million. The work is being handled by a Chinese contractor and the route will feature three lanes in either direction, boosting both capacity and safety. The first section of this work is for an 11km section from Mombasa to Kwa Jomwu. The A109 route is one of Kenya’s most important roads as