Somali president to preside over opening of Gara’ad port

GOOBJOOG NEWS|GAROWE: President Hassan Sheikh Muhamud is today expected to preside over the opening ceremony of the Gara’ad port on the northern coast of the country, Puntland.

The president, who will be accompanied by the president of Somali regional state in Ethiopia, Mustafe M Omer and other regional leaders, will open the deep-water port, which has the capacity to dock 40,000-ton container ships.

The port is expected to provide services such as modern loading equipment and refrigerated storage facilities, which will also help boost the export of livestock, fish, minerals and agricultural commodities.

Upon its launch, the Gara’ad port will be the fifth deep-water facility in the Horn of Africa, providing access to the Indian Ocean. This will therefore lead to easy access to food imports from the outside world, thereby improving food security in the region, which has long been plagued by drought and famine.