• Sea and road access to and from Ethiopia through the Port of Berbera
• Regional air transport linking Somaliland to Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya, and
• Customs facilitates and arrangements.

The aim is to contribute to the economic recovery of the region by taking advantage of increased trade and co-operation.

The study is being carried out by a team of consultants from one of the largest international consultancy groups, Louis Berger, under the team leader Mr. Rene Cousin. The consultants have recently completed the draft report on their findings and intend presenting this in a Consultative meeting to take place in Hargeisa on Monday 28 July 2003.

A large delegation from Ethiopia is expected to arrive for the meeting, including representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, The Ethiopian Roads Authorities, the Petroleum Corporation, the Customs Authority and the Airports Administration. The delegation will travel, by road, to Berbera on 29 July in order to see the port.

The purpose of the meeting is to present the conclusions and recommendations of the study to representatives of the authorities in charge of transport in Ethiopia and Somaliland. Of the crucial importance is the feedback, comments and further suggestions from the authorities and key stakeholders who rely on the regional transport network.

Somaliland’s roads are the lifeline for a wide range of socio-economic activities: livestock for export, building materials being moved through to the vast hinterland served and then the rural travel and communications of daily life. With no railway network and with air travel being far beyond the reach of most Somalis, roads are crucial channels for trade and communications. Moreover, in recent years the port of Berbera has become an important gateway to the region with growing trade flows to and from Ethiopia, including large volumes of food aid. Consequently, the main link between the port of Berbera and the region has been, and still is being, improved, with continued external support since its requirements exceed the capacity of the Somaliland Roads Authority to maintain this section on its own. The volume of transported goods, grows constantly, although it has suffered a setback as a result of the adverse effects of the livestock ban; once this ban is lifted, traffic flows could rapidly even further.

Over the last years, the European Commission has provided substantial support to the rehabilitation of key roads in Somaliland’s core trunk network. This has been, is being, undertaken through physical rehabilitation and maintenance works alongside technical assistance enhancing the capacities of the region’s road authorities.

The EC support led to the establishment, March 2000, of the Somaliland Road Authority (SRA) and the Road Fund Administration (RFA) under the auspices of a Road Sector Administration Board (RoSAB). In spite of some initial hurdles regarding the authorities’ role and the composition of RoSAB, this administrative structure increasingly makes progress in developing a sustainable, locally managed rehabilitation and maintenance programme building its sustainability by generating increased funding from fuel levies and road user charges.

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