Ministry of Transportation (Somaliland)

When Somaliland re-declared its independence in 1991, the Ministry of Transport was not an independent body; instead, it was part of the Ministry of Marine and Transport.^[2] In 1993, it was merged into the Ministry of Public Works, forming the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.^[2] In July 2003, the transport portfolio was incorporated into the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, and the term "transport" was temporarily removed from the ministry's official name.^[3] The name was revived in 2010 when it once again became the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.^[4] Finally, in December 2017, it was restructured into its current form as the Ministry of Transport and Roads Development.^[5]

The Ministry of Transport and Roads Development (MoTRD) plays a central role in overseeing and regulating the Berbera Corridor, Somaliland's most strategic infrastructure project. The corridor is a major 250-kilometer highway connecting the Port of Berbera to the Ethiopian border town of Tog Wajaale, intended to transform the country into a regional trade and logistics hub.^[6] Acting as the primary governmental supervisory body, the Ministry coordinates construction and modernization efforts in partnership with international stakeholders, including the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the United Kingdom, and DP World.^[7]

To modernize the national transit infrastructure and enhance road safety, the Ministry of Transport and Roads Development has implemented significant legal and technological reforms. The ministry has focused on establishing a robust legal framework by enforcing comprehensive traffic regulations to standardize road usage and vehicle safety. In early 2020, the ministry introduced stringent new directives for the issuance of driver's licenses to improve driver competency and accountability.^[8] Furthermore, to regulate the public transit sector, the ministry launched a technological modernization program that mandates the installation of GPRS tracking devices in public transport vehicles. This initiative is aimed at monitoring vehicle movements, ensuring passenger safety, and improving overall fleet management across the country.^[9]

In an unusual political development for the ministry, President Muse Bihi Abdi abruptly dismissed Minister Saleban Awad Ali Bukhaari in March 2024. Bukhaari, who had been appointed to head the transport and roads development portfolio just months earlier in November 2023, was removed from his position during a cabinet reshuffle before he had even received the mandatory formal approval from the Somaliland House of Representatives. This rapid dismissal of a cabinet member prior to parliamentary confirmation marked a rare and notable occurrence in the government's procedural history.^[10]