The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Somaliland Administration officially handed over a wind energy facility project to power the Hargeisa Egal International Airport during a ceremony on June 2, 2014.  The Somaliland Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources assumed control of and responsibility for the facility and will oversee its operations.

The ceremony was held at the Hargeisa Egal International Airport and was officiated by Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud Silanyo, and attended by the Ministers of Civil Aviation, Planning, Environment, Interior, Information, and Water, USAID’s Acting Somalia Office Director Hodan Hassan, and representatives from the private sector and civil society. 

Currently the cost of electricity in Somaliland is one of the highest rates in the world at over $1.25 per kilowatt.  USAID’s Partnership for Economic Growth program has worked closely with Somaliland officials and the private sector to introduce renewable energy to the region since 2011.  The wind energy facility will provide an alternative to expensive diesel fuel and will power the airport as well as some of the surrounding communities and will be managed by the government through a public private partnership.  USAID has also worked with Somaliland officials to draft the necessary laws and regulations and to ensure that there is a competitive market so that energy services can be made available to consumers for the best price.

Since 2010, USAID has invested nearly $50 million in Somaliland for a variety of sectors: community stabilization, governance, education, health, and economic growth.  Over $14 million have been invested in USAID’s Partnership for Economic Growth program.  In addition to financing energy activities, the program has also invested in the livestock and agriculture sectors as well as private sector development to promote economic stability.