Somalilandsun – The long discussed issue of which firm is to undertake the uplifting of Berbera port to international standard might be a foregone conclusion.
According to unconfirmed media reports in circulation the Somaliland government is in moves to award Dubai World Ports-DP an Emirates government owned firm the much awaited Berbera port development contract.
In this pursuit the government is said to have or in the process of dispatching the duo of Presidency Minister Hirsi Haji Ali and his public works and Transport colleague Abdirizaq Khalif Ahmed to the UAE for purposes of signing the Berbera port contract with DP CFC.
If it bMinister HirsiMinister Hirsie so the DP contract shall be serviced by The Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) with on the ground works undertaken by its recently launched subsidiary P&O Ports which according to the UAE government is designed to support sustainable development in emerging economies through its specialization in developing and operating marine and inland ports in markets with a need for well-managed trade and logistics infrastructure.
While no official report as pr the alleged contracting of Emirati firm by the government in Hargeisa snippets of advanced discussions and some agreements were divulged during launch of P&O Ports in Dubai Last month by the PCFC chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem who stated that “We are pleased to announce that P&O Ports has signed MoUs to enter into preliminary discussions in with the governments of Madagascar, the Port of Berbera in the Republic of Somaliland and Albania to enhance their port infrastructure”
A month ago president Ahmed Mahmud Silanyo in his annual state of the nation 2015 revealed that his administration in pursuit of enhancing the operational capacities at the Port of Berbera, had and was in consultations with four foreign firms interested in the contract namely Bollore (France), DP World (UAE), Prime Africa (KSA) or Kuwaiti Logistics (Kuwait).
Though the government is determined in initiating its ports infrastructural development with assistance from reputable firm’s the issue of such a Minister A KhalifMinister A Khalifmove at the port of Berbera has generated a lot of debates within the citizenry and political spectrum equally divided on the merits and demerits.
