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Somalia's roads and trade corridors

Bulshadaa isu keentay · INFRASTRUCTURE · 12 min read · 2026-09-28

Waxaa isu keenay wax-ku-biiriyayaal bulsho iyagoo ka duulaya ilo dadweyne. Tirooyinku waxay noqon karaan qiyaaso — si madax-bannaan u xaqiiji ka hor inta aadan ku tiirsan.

Tusmada
  1. Summary
  2. Where Xidig members may contribute
  3. Possible services, research, supplier or collaboration roles
  4. Who may find this useful
  5. Somalia's road network today, and what is already being built
  6. Geographic context
  7. Dependencies and implementation constraints
  8. Risks and unknowns
  9. Questions members should verify before acting
  10. What is confirmed, and what isn't
  11. Relevant next steps
  12. More about the source
  13. Notes on figures
  14. Related reports
  15. About this report
  16. Sources

A network that was 13% paved, a large maintenance gap, the donor programmes already building roads, and the road proposals on the government's list.

Not investment advice. Independent analysis of a government publication; not a tender or funding notice.

Summary

Poor roads make moving goods around Somalia slow and costly. Only about 13% of the national network was paved in 2016, the World Bank reports that only 31.2% of the rural population has access to an all-season road, and floods regularly cut roads and bridges. Several donor-funded road programmes are already building or tendering specific sections. For members, the useful angles are engineering and construction skills, road-maintenance systems and local knowledge of routes.

What Xidig found:

  • Work is under way. An African Development Bank programme covers corridors in central Somalia and border links; construction of the 60 km Dhusamareb–Qaradhi section was launched in March 2026, and bids for a 22 km Beledweyne road were opened in September 2026. Qatar-funded works cover Mogadishu–Afgoye and Mogadishu–Balcad–Jowhar, and a World Bank programme approved in May 2026 includes a 63 km road from Hargeisa to the Ethiopian border at Ina Guha (World Bank appraisal document).
  • Maintenance is the gap. The African Development Bank reports an annual maintenance need above US$120 million against budget allocations below US$15 million, and a roads authority is prioritised but not yet established.
  • Local route knowledge is useful evidence. Official data is old, so members who travel these routes can document conditions, travel times and flood points.

The government has also proposed rehabilitating 3,825 km of existing roads and building 2,075 km of new trade corridors, both at pre-feasibility stage, with costs printed in a notation that needs confirmation; details are under More about the source.

Where Xidig members may contribute

These are learning and skills opportunities, not confirmed contracts or jobs.

  • Skills: civil and highway engineering, surveying, materials testing, drainage and bridge design, construction supervision and road-safety audits.
  • Service: environmental and social assessments, community consultation along routes, and monitoring of works.
  • Learning: how road programmes are procured under AfDB and World Bank rules. Open tenders are published by the ministry and the development banks.
  • Local knowledge: members who travel these routes can document road conditions, travel times and flood points. That is useful evidence where official data is old.

Possible services, research, supplier or collaboration roles

  • Road-condition and travel-time surveys, which could be crowd-sourced with care and with consent.
  • Technical input to a road maintenance management system. Germany and the EU have supported such work with road agencies.
  • Materials supply and equipment hire for tendered works. Always check a real tender first.

Who may find this useful

  • Civil engineers, surveyors and construction managers, including diaspora professionals.
  • Transport operators, traders and farmers who move goods between regions.
  • Students in engineering and planning.
  • Local contractors following donor-funded tenders.

Somalia's road network today, and what is already being built

Fur cabbirka buuxa

The rehabilitation target for "existing tarmac" (3,825 km) is larger than the 2,860 km recorded as paved in 2016. Either more roads have been paved since, or the definition differs — a question for the ministry.

The network.

  • Size and paving: SOMINVEST's own sector page, citing a 2016 needs assessment, says "the 21,933km long road network in Somalia is in poor to very poor condition, and only 2,860 km (13%) are paved". The World Bank (2022) gives 21,830 km, with the same 2,860 km paved.
  • Rural access: the World Bank reports that "only 31.2% of the rural population has access to an all-season road".
  • Population access: the ministry's presentation says "only ~40% of the population has access within 2km of an all-weather road".

Costs of distance. A 2026 World Bank project document notes that "rice prices in Dinsoor are up to 60 percent higher than in Mogadishu". It gives "transport costs to major cities ranging from US$20 to US$50 per ton". The government's own claims of 2.6 days cut to 5–12 hours, and 30 km/h raised to 60 km/h, appear in the ministry presentation too. The presentation attributes its route-level estimates to "SNTP Lab Analysis" but does not publish that analysis.

Floods. The government's rapid damage assessment of the 2023 Deyr floods, produced with UNDP, the World Bank and the EU, found that "15 bridges and more than 48 kilometres of roads were damaged". It put recovery needs at US$37.4M, most of it for bridges.

Maintenance. An African Development Bank appraisal (November 2025) reports that the annual road maintenance need "exceeds USD 120 million, yet actual budget allocations remain below USD 15 million". It notes that the government has prioritised "establishment of a Roads Authority".

What is already being built or planned (separately from the government's proposals):

  • AfDB Road Infrastructure Programme (US$66.36M, approved July 2019).
    • Corridors: Beledweyne–Galkayo, Galkayo–Garowe, Galkayo–Hobyo and Luuq–Ganane–Dolow.
    • The ministry launched construction of the Dhusamareb–Qaradhi section (60 km) (announced 7 March 2026).
    • Additional financing approved in late 2025 covers Zeila–Asha Addo and Beledweyne–Kalabeyr. Bids for the 22 km Beledweyne–Kalabayr road were opened at a ministry ceremony on 4 September 2026 (Dawan Africa).
  • Qatar Fund for Development roads. These cover Mogadishu–Afgoye (22 km) and Mogadishu–Balcad–Jowhar. In May 2024, SONNA reported the first two phases complete and Balcad–Jowhar under way.
  • World Bank. The Somalia Infrastructure Development for Access and Jobs Program, Phase 1 (P513127; a US$160M grant approved on 5 May 2026) was called the Somalia Transformational Access and Infrastructure Resilience Program (US$100M) in its February 2026 concept note. According to its April 2026 appraisal document, its road component finances a 63 km section from Hargeisa via Salahley to the Ethiopian border at Ina Guha. World Bank urban programmes report "39 km of roads" completed in Somali cities.
  • Cross-border links. Somalia and Kenya are discussing extending the Isiolo–Mandera corridor into Somalia (Dawan Africa, September 2026). The AfDB notes that financing has "supported only 30 km of the 280 km required in Somalia" on the Lowyaddo–Borama road.

Readers should not assume the government's proposed 5,900 km (3,825 km rehabilitated plus 2,075 km new) includes, or adds to, these programmes. The proposals don't say.

The ministry's version. The Ministry of Public Works' 2025 presentation describes "Rehabilitation of 3,823KM of key existing tarmac roads" with "Budget Required (USD mil): 1,181M". It also describes "Development of 2075 KM of new asphalt roads to connect critical border towns and port cities" with "Budget Required (USD mil): 1,294M". It refers to the "completed Mogadishu – Afgoye road". Where the government's proposals and the presentation differ, this report quotes both and does not reconcile them.

Geographic context

No map is included: neither of the government's proposals names its roads or corridors (the ministry presentation lists priority routes). The only places mentioned are the industrial clusters at Hobyo, Kismayo and Mogadishu, and the existing Mogadishu–Afgoye road.

Current donor programmes are concentrated in central Somalia (Beledweyne, Galkayo, Dhusamareb, Hobyo) and on border links (Dolow, Borama, Zeila). A 2025 report describes a dispute between the federal government and Puntland over who should implement a Galkayo–Xarfo road section originally intended for AfDB financing; Puntland's government says it is now funding it itself (Garowe Online, July 2025). This shows why coordination between levels of government matters for road projects.

Dependencies and implementation constraints

  • Maintenance funding: new or rehabilitated roads deteriorate without it. The reported gap is large, as described above.
  • Institutions: a roads authority is prioritised but not yet established, according to the AfDB. The World Bank notes the ministry's mandate "overlaps with the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) and Federal Member States".
  • Climate: flood-resilient design, drainage and bridges.
  • Finance: none is named on either sheet. PPP is ticked, but toll-based finance is uncommon for rural roads.

Risks and unknowns

  • Cost notation: "$1,071 B" and "$1,209 B"¹, and the differing ministry figures (1,181M and 1,294M in "USD mil").
  • The 3,825 km of "existing tarmac" against 2,860 km paved (2016). The ministry presentation gives 3,823 km.
  • Unnamed routes and unsourced time and speed targets.

Questions members should verify before acting

  1. Are the government's 3,825 km and 2,075 km the priority roads listed in the ministry's 2025 presentation?
  2. What is the intended cost, and in what unit (note 1)?
  3. How do these proposals relate to the AfDB, World Bank and Qatar-funded programmes already under way?
  4. Is there a current tender? Check the Ministry of Public Works, AfDB and World Bank procurement pages.
  5. Who will pay for maintenance once works are complete?

What is confirmed, and what isn't

Confirmed

  • The two proposals, their lengths, printed costs and pre-feasibility status.
  • The ministry presentation's figures.
  • Network size and paving share (2016 and 2022 sources).
  • The AfDB programme, its sections and its 2026 construction launch.
  • Deyr 2023 flood damage.
  • The maintenance-gap figures, as reported by the AfDB.

Our interpretation

  • The government's road figures come from the same ministry programme as its 2025 presentation. The differences are unexplained.
  • Skills in road engineering and maintenance are a durable need.

Not yet verified

  • Whether the proposals' routes are the presentation's priority roads.
  • Time and speed targets.
  • Whether the proposals overlap with funded programmes.
  • The current status of Balcad–Jowhar.

Relevant next steps

  • Follow the Ministry of Public Works and the AfDB and World Bank procurement pages for real tenders.
  • Engineers: consider how flood-resilient design and maintenance planning apply to the corridors you know.
  • Share route conditions through Xidig, avoiding security-sensitive detail.

More about the source

The government's investment booklet, Bankable Projects 2026–2030 (MoPIED / SOMINVEST), is one of the sources for this report. The details it gives are summarised here as printed.

Rehabilitation of Existing Roads (LI-01, pp.51–52).

  • What: "Rehabilitation of 3,825 km of existing key tarmac roads across Somalia." The sheet says this "will improve resilience against climate challenges, reduce transport costs, and cut commodity transport time from 2.6 days to as little as 5–12 hours".
  • Key drivers: "Improve average road speed from 30 km/h to 60 km/h", "Enhance agricultural market connectivity" and "Current national road network (~13% paved)".
  • Estimates: cost printed "$1,071 B"¹; 5 years.
  • Ticks: Brownfield, Greenfield and Expansion; PPP.

Construction of New Trade Corridors (LI-02, pp.53–54).

  • What: "Development of 2,075 km of new asphalt roads connecting border towns with major port cities."
  • Key drivers: "Reduce travel time to ports for landlocked regions from 1+ day to 5 hours" and "Support industrial clusters in Hobyo, Kismayo, and Mogadishu".
  • Existing infrastructure cited: "Existing Mogadishu–Afgoye trade road" and "Border and customs infrastructure".
  • Estimates: cost printed "$1,209 B"¹; 5 years.
Fur cabbirka buuxa

The two road proposals as printed. The cost notation needs confirmation (note 1).

Neither sheet names the roads or corridors. The ministry's 2025 presentation does: its nine priority rehabilitation roads add up to 3,825 km (the booklet's figure; its headline says 3,823 km), and its seven new corridors add up to 2,075 km and USD 1,209M, matching the booklet's length and printed cost.

  • Primary source: MoPIED / SOMINVEST, Bankable Projects 2026–2030, posted 19 Nov 2025. Logistics & infrastructure section, PDF pp.51–54.
  • Promoters: SOMINVEST and the Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing.
  • Status: pre-feasibility on both sheets.
  • Related ministry document: the Ministry of Public Works' own presentation, Road Transport Sector … Q1 Report 2025, describes the same two programmes. Its figures differ in places; see The ministry's version in the road-network section above and note 1.

Notes on figures

¹ Printed as "$1,071 B" (roads, PDF p.51) and "$1,209 B" (trade corridors, p.53). The booklet gives its other costs in millions ("M"), for example "$551.2 M" for port modernisation on p.59. Read literally, each figure would be more than a thousand billion US dollars, larger than all the booklet's other proposals combined. The notation is therefore most likely a formatting error, possibly for US$1.071 billion and US$1.209 billion. The Ministry of Public Works' own 2025 presentation on the same road programmes gives budgets in "USD mil" (1,181M for rehabilitating 3,823 km and 1,294M for 2,075 km of new roads), which supports reading these as millions, although its amounts (and one length) differ from the booklet's. The presentation's corridor table sums to USD 1,209M, the booklet's printed figure for new corridors. Xidig has not changed the figures; they should be confirmed with the Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing. Please check the source before relying on them.

  • Somalia's Bankable Projects 2026–2030, explained
  • Somalia's seaports and a proposed Mogadishu dry dock
  • Seed, fodder, meat, dairy and poultry in Somalia
  • Roads and floods in Somalia: damage, design and maintenance

About this report

By Xidig members and collaborators.

Project codes. Codes such as EN-04 or AG-05 are Xidig's own shorthand for the booklet's fact sheets, by sector; the booklet itself does not number its projects.

How we researched it. We read the full 97-page booklet and checked every figure, page reference and quotation used here against it. We then compared the booklet's claims with the official, international and news sources listed below, and we say where they differ. We did not interview anyone for this report. Where the booklet's figures are unclear, we reproduce them as printed and explain the issue in the notes.

Corrections. If you spot an error, please tell us using the correction link on this page.

Sources

Primary

Supporting