A major development project has been implemented along the banks of the Shabelle River to boost agricultural production. The Office for Irrigation Development of the Somali Regional State (DDS) has provided 24-hour electricity and a modern irrigation system powered by electricity to 700 farming households living in the Shabellearea.

This initiative aims to reduce the fuel costs that farmers previously spent on irrigation by installing four high-capacity water pumps, each capable of extracting 165 liters of water per second, which will be used to irrigate 800 hectares of farmland.

Speaking about the project, Mohamed Fatah Mohamed, Minister of the Office for Irrigation Development in DDS, stated:

“We have focused on utilizing the natural resources under our control—our land and water resources—to strengthen agricultural production. Since we no longer rely on fuel and have switched to electricity, this took a long time to implement. The transformer now provides 315 kB, compared to the previous 160 kB.”

This initiative is part of broader efforts to enhance agricultural productivity in the Somali Regional State, aiming to improve food self-sufficiency and economic growth for local farmers.