By Abdisalam Biligsey
Somalia is a strategically placed country and lies at the tip of the Horn of Africa, where The Gulf of Aden meets the Indian Ocean at Guardfui Channel/Ras Aseyr, and where a good deal of international commerce and trade shipping lanes converge and pass through. It is thought that, annually, up to 30,000 ships go through the Gulf of Aden heading to and from the Suez Canal.
In terms of land mass, Somalia borders with Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya. In the North and East it borders with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It has the longest cost in Africa with over 3,000 km, and, generally, believed that the country is endowed with huge, diverse resources, including its God-given geographic location Yet, Somalia is among the ten poorest countries in the world, according to UNDP Development Index.
As the nation is, gradually, remerging from years of internecine warfare to claim its rightful position at world stage, the country is rediscovering itself and its economic assets in many ways. Chief among these is the geographic location of the Strait of Guardafui. Normally, referred as Guardafui Channel, is an oceanic strait off the tip of the Horn of Africa that lies between the Puntland region of Somalia and Socotra to the west of the Arabian Sea. It connects the Gulf of Aden to the north with the Somali sea to the south. Its width is roughy 100 kilometers (62 mls) between Ras Aseyr (Gardafuul) and Abd al Kori, and roughly 240 kilometers (150 mls) between Ras Aseyr and Socotra. Gardafuul, a province of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, is named after it. In its narrower sense, the Guardafui Channel, refers to the strait between Puntland and Abd al Kuri.
Historically, the oceanic strait has been regarded as a dangerous pitfall both during peace and war times. It was a highly strategic region during World War II. due to its possession by an Axis power at the time, Italy, The Allies attempted to secure passage through the oceanic strait in the Operation Chapter. Subsequently, the Allies decided that in order to continue routing independent ships and convoys, air cover was needed. The passage contains the islands of Abd al Kuri, Darsah and Samhah. In the older days, ships passing the strait would use the Francesco Crispi lighthouse in Cape Guardafui as a navigational aid. On the western mainland on the Horn African coast, lie the Puntite localities of Cape Elephant, Alula, Bereda, Olog & Daamo, Tohen, Bargal, and Hafun.
The main purpose of this undertaking is to create conditions where the international sea-faring vessels are accommodated in the adjacent piece of land of this waterway, the Horn of Africa, for the transfer and exchange of goods and services, and to connect the great African continent with the rest of the world. Other specific objectives include, among others:
- Construction of a port for containers, refuelling station for the passing ships, as well as, a repairing workshops for the would-be affected vessels,
- Construction of an international Airport to accommodate aircrafts to and from Africa
- Establishment of a Free Trade Zone where goods and services are exchanged,
- Development of road and rail infrastructure to connect the area with the rest of Somalia and by extension Africa
- Development of hospitality industry for visitors and tourists, and
- As a result, the creation of hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities for the bulging young generations of this country.
The assumption is that, if this project is carried out and implemented, it will generate a huge amount of national revenue, which will benefit the Somali people as a whole as it creates badly-needed jobs and ever-lasting, sustainable infrastructures. The action will also benefit the people of the Horn of Africa nations and beyond. For sure, it will raise the standard of living of many countries by way of trade as it increases the commercial connectivity of all the people involved.
Abdisalam Biligsey
Email: [email protected]
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