Qatar to build new port in Somalia's Hobyo

DOHA: Qatar plans to build a new seaport at Somalia’s Hobyo, a potentially strategic investment in an area of East Africa fiercely contested by Gulf rivals.

Hobyo, in the central region of Mudug, is an important Somali port owing to its proximity to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which is one of the most important sea crossing points in the world, with the potential for access to international markets.

Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani) will enter an investment partnership with Somalia to construct the port, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said in a statement without disclosing the value of the deal.

A Qatari delegation led by Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani visited Somalia on Monday.

The Hobyo port will “will contribute to opening new horizons of cooperation between the two countries” and bolster Somalia’s commercial ties to new markets in Africa and further afield, the ministry’s statement said.

The small but wealthy Gulf state has looked to strengthen ties with Somalia, donating a fleet of 68 armoured vehicles this year and airlifting Mogadishu’s mayor to Doha for emergency medical treatment last month after an ultimately fatal attack by militants.