Ports on the rise in Africa

Despite latent trade wars, global logistical networks keep developing at a fast pace. Africa is currently seeing an exceptional expansion and proliferation of ports as logistical key-nodes. This new Briefing Paper focuses on the case of Berbera port in the breakaway republic of Somaliland, close to one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, in the Bay of Aden. In 2017, the Dubai-based logistics giant DP World began operating and upgrading the port, which may become an important gateway for fast-growing, but land-locked, Ethiopia. The Briefing Paper examines the details and politics of the DP World deal, the new port regime, the local and national repercussions, as well as the geopolitical implications of the deal and UAE’s increased presence in Somaliland.

The Briefing Paper is an output of the research program Governing Economic Hubs and Flows in Somali East Africa (GOVSEA). It is written by Warsame M. Ahmed (University of Hargeisa), and Senior Researcher Finn Stepputat (DIIS), and published by the leading regional research hub, the Rift Valley Institute in Nairobi.