Somalia Rising
Somalia
Rising
Somalia Rising: A Story of Progress
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omalia is going through a unique and progressive transformation, with immense trade opportunities to be exploited. Despite two decades of conflict, Somalia’s fisheries and agricultural sector has remained resilient and production is growing to meet rising regional and international demand for high-quality commodities.
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conomic activity is estimated to have expanded by 3.7 percent in 2014, driven by growth in agriculture, livestock and fisheries, and a resurgent private sector, notably in the services industry, which includes telecommunications, construction and money transfer.
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his combined with Somalia’s natutrategically located in the Horn rally rich fishing grounds, fertile of Africa and home to the longest agricultural land and the strong tradicoastline on the continent, Somalia is tion of entrepreneurship characteriswithin reach of international transpor- tic of the Somali culture has put the tation hubs in both the Middle East country at a turning point in terms of and Indian Ocean. global trade.
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Cover: A fisherman in Somalia releasing the remainder of his catch. Photo: Abdi Roble and Tariq Tarey. Left: Fishermen preparing their boat for a trip into the ocean in Somalia. Top: Goats ready for export, seaside fisheries activity and banana cultivation.
Fisheries in Somalia
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omali waters are considered to be some of the most diverse and profitable fishing grounds in Africa, teeming with schools of yellow fin tuna, blue marlin, dolphin fish, and sardines. In addition to having the longest coastline in continental Africa at 3,300 kilometres, the country has over 10,000 km2 of inland water area with two permanent rivers, the Juba and the Shebelle, which renders a great aquaculture potential.
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he fisheries sector in Somalia is widely acknowledged to have huge potential for profitable expansion against a backdrop of increasing world demand and peak production in most of the world’s fisheries.
The Somali Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 830,390 km2 was formally ratified in 2014, but has seen minimal international fishing effort for more than two decades. Estimates suggest that the country has the potential to produce 300,000 to 400,000 tons of fish per year, whilst current landings are estimated at just 15,000 to 20,000 tons.
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he growth of the fisheries industry is highly dependent on meeting demand for top quality products, which in turn depends on the capacity of Somali producers to meet global standards. Therein lies the opportunity for investment to realize the potential of Somalia’s rich fisheries.
Opposite page: Fishing boats docked by the seaside in Mogadishu. Ali Adan/GEEL. Top: A diverse array of seafood that can be found in Somali waters: crab, tuna and lobster.
Somalia: Open for Business Africa’s Last Virgin Fisheries 830,389 km2
GULF OF ADEN
DJIBOUTI
Somalia ʻs Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
Bosaso: Deepwater harbour. Multiple cold store facilities avialble. Berbera: Containerized, bespoke fisheries jetty, ice machines and cold store facilities widely available.
3,300km
ETHIOPIA
The Longest in Mainland Africa
bi We
Key
S ha
bee lle
bi We
Fish landing sites with cold store facilities.
J ub
ba
Mogadishu: Containerized, multiple ice and cold store facilities available.
Diverse Stock SKIPJACK TUNA
BIGEYE TUNA
Kismayo: Deepwater harbour. Limited ice and cold store facilities available.
DOLPHINFISH
SARDINES
JACKS GRUNTS
BLUE MARLIN
CRAB
LOBSTER
GROUPERS
LONGTAIL TUNA SWORDFISH
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SNAPPER
GOATFISH
CLAM
YELLOWFIN TUNA
SHRIMP STRIPED MARLIN
SQUID
EMPEROR
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n June 2014, Somalia declared its 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). With this declaration, fishing vessels seeking to fish in Somali waters are required to purchase a license from the Somalia Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources. Each license sold funds the conservation and improvement of fish populations, management of the state’s fishery resources and preservation of biodiversity in Somali waters.
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omalia is serious about protecting its fisheries resources and has taken adequate steps to do so. In 2014, the country became an active member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and a member of Fish-i-Africa in 2016, providing an environment that can protect legitimate investors and assist with long term sustainability.
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Deep sea harbours.
KENYA
Somalia is Open for Business
omali waters are considered to be some of the richest fishing grounds in the world and often described as potential gold mine for legal fishing. The Federal Government of Somalia, in their recent 2017-2019 National Development Plan listed fisheries as a priority sector; a driver of economic growth, and industrial fishing has an important role to play in that. The Somali government therefore is keen to work with responsible credible international fisheries companies who respect Somali laws, and protect the marine environment.
Somalia Fisheries: Time to Invest
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eople have never consumed so much fish, or depended so greatly on the sector for their well being, as they do today. Fish is the most heavily-traded food commodity in the world—$148 billion worth of fish was traded in 2014, with more than half of fish exports by value originating in developing countries. The tuna industry alone is worth $6 billion globally.
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lobal demand for seafood products continues to increase when most of the world’s fisheries are either over-exploited or fully exploited. Somalia is therefore uniquely situated to meet rapidly rising demand for fish products and international markets offer the greatest potential for the county’s fishing sector.
Opposite: Iced fish. Top: Fishing for crab in Somali waters; Somali crab after catch; Inspection of a fishing vessel in Mogadishu.
Who we are
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he Growth, Enterprise, Employment and Livelihoods (GEEL) Project works with the private sector to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Somalia; focusing on both systemic initiatives that affect the whole economy, as well as sectoral initiatives benefiting the dairy, fisheries, sesame and banana sectors. Below are a few of the companies that we work with in the fisheries sector.
Hidig Boat Factory Yasin Hassan Mohamed hidigboats2@gmail.com
Weheliye Fishing Company Elmi Nure Weheliye weheliyefc@gmail.com
Precious Diamond Vessel Abdiaziz Ali Qood abdiazizqood@yahoo.com
Somali Marine Stakeholders Union Hussein Bile Ahmed maye.mfa@gmail.com sheikhprojects01@gmail.com nationalcoo.fishery@gmail.com
Al-khayraat fishing and General Trading Company Abdinur Jimale Kheire alkhayraatfishing@gmail.com
Boss Maritime Boss Mohamed bossmaritime@yahoo.co.uk
Somali National Fishing Company Ali Ibrahim Siad khadijoaah@hotmail.com Yustan Food Processing Ahmed Khalif Osman mahadcade@gmail.com Irco General Trading Company Abdulkadir Iris Abdi abdikadiriris1@gmail.com
Jubbaland Fisheries Ali Mohamed Abdi jufedsecco@gmail.com Somali Al Siha Enterprises Ali Mohamoud Hassan celayo100@yahoo.com Reca Fishing Mohamed Musse Gelle recafishing12@gmail.com
Irco General Trading Company Mohamed Dhaqane Omar Dhaqane1000@gmail.com Puntland Investment and Development Authority (PIDA) Abdulwoli J Issa pidaauthority@gmail.com Mukhtar Mohamed Hassan Horn Africa Company Executive Director hornafriccompany@gmail.com
This publication is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of International Resources Groups (a subsidiary of RTI) and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Somalia Growth, Enterprise, Employment & Livelihoods (GEEL) Project: info@sogeel.org