Trade and ports
Foreign companies in Somalia: who runs the port, the airport and other concessions
Foreign firms run several of Somalia's main assets under concessions. Turkey's Albayrak group has run Mogadishu port since 2014 and paid the federal government $38.1 million in 2025, its 62.17 percent share of gross revenue. Favori, a Turkish firm, has run Aden Adde airport since 2013; it reported $29.7 million of gross revenue in 2025. DP World of Dubai runs Berbera and its P&O Ports unit holds Bosaso, and Dubai's Simatech opened a container terminal in Mogadishu in 2016.
The short version
Since 2013 the federal government has handed the running of Mogadishu's port and airport to Turkish companies in exchange for a share of revenue, while DP World of Dubai and its subsidiary P&O Ports have taken concessions for Berbera and Bosaso. For all Somali-owned firms, see the Somali businesses.
Mogadishu port: Albayrak
The Turkish Albayrak group took over the operation and modernisation of Mogadishu port in late 2014 (Anadolu Agency, September 2025). Its local company is Mogadishu Alport Corporation, Albayrak-Somalia. Albayrak later signed a new 14-year concession with the federal government, announced by Somali National Television, after talks on revenue sharing; the ports minister at the time was Mariam Aweys Jama (Daily Sabah).
Somalia's Auditor General reported that the government received $38,081,786.42 from Albayrak-Somalia in 2025, under a deal giving the government 62.17 percent of gross revenue. Independently audited accounts for the port were not available during the audit, and the company committed to an external audit (Dawan Africa, 10 August 2026, reporting the Auditor General).
Aden Adde airport: Favori
Favori LLC, part of Turkey's Kozuva group, has run Aden Adde International Airport since 2013. The UN Monitoring Group described the contract in 2016 as a "technically poor" deal for the federal government, and the government was reviewing it in 2025 ahead of its expiry in 2028 (Dawan Africa; Garowe Online, Turkey digs deeper into Somalia infrastructure projects). For 2025 the Auditor General reported Favori's gross revenue at $29,713,321; the government's 25 percent share was $7,428,330.25, of which it received $4,153,948.72, with the rest flagged for follow-up. Favori said its audited accounts would be available in 2027 (Dawan Africa, 10 August 2026).
DP World and P&O Ports
DP World of Dubai signed a $442 million joint venture with Somaliland to manage and expand Berbera port (Gulf News). In 2017 P&O Ports, part of DP World, signed a 30-year, $336 million concession for Bosaso with Puntland (Seatrade Maritime). On 12 January 2026 the federal government announced it was cancelling all agreements with the United Arab Emirates, including port arrangements at Berbera, Bosaso and Kismayo (Africanews, 12 January 2026); Somaliland and Puntland rejected the move. See Somalia's seaports.
Simatech
Simatech, a Dubai shipping group, ran the first container ship service between Jebel Ali and Mogadishu in January 2013 and supplied the first container handling equipment at the port. On 19 June 2016 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud opened its Simatech International Container Terminal (SICT) in Mogadishu, built under an agreement with the federal government (Hiiraan Online, June 2016). Its liner services were later taken over by Global Feeder Shipping (Splash247).
Banks
Ziraat Katilim, a Turkish participation (Islamic) bank, is the only foreign bank branch on the Central Bank of Somalia's register of licensed banks (Central Bank of Somalia, licensed banks; Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025).
Sources disagree
- Length of the original port deal. Reports describe Albayrak's first concession as 20 years or 30 years (Garowe Online; Middle East Institute).
- Length of the airport deal. Some reports give 20 years, others 15 years from 30 June 2013 (same sources).
Sources
- Anadolu Agency, September 2025 · aa.com.tr
- Daily Sabah · dailysabah.com
- Dawan Africa, 10 August 2026, reporting the Auditor General · dawan.africa
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Garowe Online, Turkey digs deeper into Somalia infrastructure projects · garoweonline.com
- Gulf News · gulfnews.com
- Seatrade Maritime · seatrade-maritime.com
- Africanews, 12 January 2026 · africanews.com
- Hiiraan Online, June 2016 · hiiraan.com
- Splash247 · splash247.com
- Central Bank of Somalia, licensed banks · centralbank.gov.so
- Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 · centralbank.gov.so
- Middle East Institute · mei.edu
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Where this matters
- Muqdisho (Mogadishu) and BanaadirMogadishu (Muqdisho) is Somalia's capital and makes up the Banadir region, with about 2.97 million people in 20 districts.
- Hargeysa (Hargeisa) and Woqooyi GalbeedWoqooyi Galbeed is the north-western region that holds Hargeisa (Hargeysa) and the port of Berbera, with about 1 to 1.45 million people.
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