Garissa residents are urging the state to consider reopening the Somalia border, saying it will help spur trade between Kismayo and the northern counties.
The port of Kismayo is famous for the lucrative trade of charcoal, sugar, food and construction materials.
Jubaland traders unload large quantities of goods from ships sailing around the world at the port of Kismayo. It remains one of the richest seaports in East Africa.
Before closure of the border, most of the goods consumed in the northern counties came from Kismayo.
The port is the main source of revenue for the Jubaland administration, which shares a long border with Kenya.
Abdi Mohamed a business man from Garissa remembers with nostalgia how business thrived in Garissa when the border was still open.
“The port of Kismayo used to serve our counties very well before things turned upside down. It’s proximity to our border Dobley and Liboi was cost effective to us,” he said.
Garissa residents are urging the state to consider reopening the Somalia border, saying it will help spur trade between Kismayo and the northern counties.
The port of Kismayo is famous for the lucrative trade of charcoal, sugar, food and construction materials.
Jubaland traders unload large quantities of goods from ships sailing around the world at the port of Kismayo. It remains one of the richest seaports in East Africa.
Before closure of the border, most of the goods consumed in the northern counties came from Kismayo.
The port is the main source of revenue for the Jubaland administration, which shares a long border with Kenya.
Abdi Mohamed a business man from Garissa remembers with nostalgia how business thrived in Garissa when the border was still open.
“The port of Kismayo used to serve our counties very well before things turned upside down. It’s proximity to our border Dobley and Liboi was cost effective to us,” he said.
The government further said that it was loosing millions through untaxed goods. Some goods were also said to be sub standard.
According to UN statistics, the regional administration of Kismayo raised Sh2.4 billion in the last financial year, coming second to Puntland State which generated a revenue of Sh7.1 billion.
Kismayo Port manager Ahmed Haji told the media that work at the port is good.
He said Kismayo is undergoing major transformation in terms of trade and construction following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Haji said the pandemic disruptions slowed the improvement and efficiency plans the Jubaland State had for the port.
He however said they have recorded significant growth in the last two years.
He says currently an average of ten vessels dock at the port, a significant growth compared to a low of up to five vessels a day recorded during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
The manager said going forward they aspire to record improvement this year in the volume of cargo they receive at the port.
This, he said, “Will lead to employment for many who lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic.”
The port city was liberated by the Kenyan forces and Raskamboni Jubaland forces in 2012 from the hands of al shabaab, which controlled large parts of Southern Somalia.
Kismayo port is a key maritime player in the country. It is along main international shipping routes and has 3,300 kilometres of coastline.
Source: The Star
