Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)–The Minister of Livestock, Forestry, and Range of the Federal Government of Somalia, Hassan Hussein Mohamed (Elay) has inaugurated the country’s first integrated livestock market at Mogadishu Port.

The new facility, supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), is a significant milestone in enhancing market access, trade, and livelihoods for pastoralist communities across the region.

The handover ceremony marked a crucial step in the Drought Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Programme II for Somalia, aimed at bolstering the livestock sector, which is a cornerstone of the Somali economy. Livestock contributes 40 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), making it the mainstay of economic activity in the region.

With Somalia exporting a record of about 5 million livestock annually to markets in the Gulf of Arabia, the new facility is expected to further boost trade. Buyers from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have increasingly relied on Somalia’s livestock market, benefitting from the country’s improved disease surveillance and control mechanisms.

This development is seen as a critical move towards strengthening Somalia’s position in the global livestock market and supporting the economic resilience of its pastoralist communities.