Ukraine’s RIDNE Consortium Explores Berbera Port as Humanitarian Aid Hub

By: Mohamed Duale

HARGEISA, Aug 31 (Horndiplomat) — A delegation from Ukraine-based RIDNE Food Consortium and the Tony Blair Institute has visited Berbera Port to assess opportunities for humanitarian food distribution and broader cooperation in Somaliland, the Somaliland Ports Authority said.

Somaliland Ports Authority Manager Ali Diiriye Ahmed received the delegation and briefed its members on the port’s operations and its potential role in regional logistics.

The Ports authority said RIDNE’s visit focused on evaluating whether Berbera could serve as a hub for importing, storing and distributing humanitarian food supplies destined for the Horn of Africa, Sudan and Yemen.

RIDNE Food Consortium brings together agricultural producers and food-processing operations in Ukraine, covering different stages of the supply chain, including production, processing, storage and distribution, according to the authority.

Establishing humanitarian supply operations through Berbera would strengthen the port’s position as a regional logistics gateway and could provide an additional route for delivering food assistance to countries affected by conflict and food insecurity.

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Representatives of the Tony Blair Institute also joined the visit as part of what the authority described as a fact-finding and assessment mission. The institute is studying potential partnerships and opportunities to launch activities across several sectors in Somaliland, it added.

No agreement or investment commitment was announced following the visit.

Berbera Port occupies a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden, close to major shipping routes connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Somaliland has sought to develop the port as a trade and logistics gateway serving its domestic market and neighboring countries, particularly landlocked Ethiopia.

The Ports Authority said the visit reflected Berbera’s growing potential to support regional commerce, logistics integration and international humanitarian relief operations.

(Reporting by Mohamed Duale; Editing by Horndiplomat Desk)