Awdal Resources & Development Assistance Association
Press Release: Lughaya Port Development Project (LPDP)
Adal Resources and Development Assistance Association (ARDAA), officially announces the Lughaya Port Development Project (LPDP) as its strategic priority over the next few years. The LPDP constitutes a part of the ARDAA’s core objectives of supporting socio-economic developments in the Adal regions.
Geographically occupying a vast land in the Horn of Africa with a population of approximately 1.5 million people, Adalites inhabit the regions of Awdal, Salal, and Gabiley in Somaliland as well as areas in neighboring, Djibouti and Eastern Ethiopia. The strong kinship and economic relationship of the people of Adal has compelled an inclusive economic development plan for the entire region. ARDAA has become the icon of the Diaspora community from these regions for the past couple of years and an inspiration to lead economic growth, prosperity and relief efforts.
ARDAA is working on an investment and development master plan encompassing the coastal line from Eil Sheikh to Loyaado and with specific targets of developing tourist resorts at the historic city of Zeila and its neighbouring islands of Saaddin and Eebad while at the same preserving the rich ancestral history of our civilization. The over arching goals are:
1.
Poverty reduction through the improvement and introduction of artisanal fishing communities and creation of income-generating employment opportunities
2.
Access to medical services at urban centers through improved network of roads,
3.
Opening up potential businesses with the huge market south of the border
4.
Settle the nomadic population along the coast to engage in fishing, import/export business
5.
Settle the nomadic population along the Lughaya/Borama road as rural settlements with schools, health care centres and agricultural/farming communities.
These goals, if and when achieved, will eliminate the drastic effect and negative impact of the cyclical draught, famines, crop failures, trade barriers, poor health system, and community isolation and dependence.
Adal communities traded with the rest of the world since pre-Islamic era. Zeila was one of the few major commercial routes and business centres of the whole of the Horn of Africa since time immemorial. ARDAA is inspired by this history, by the opportunity, by the need for economic independence of the Adal communities, by the geopolitical realities in the region, and by the location of Lughaya as it relates to its distance from major markets in the Horn. Lughaya is currently a government recognized official port with a central government Customs Office to levy taxes on imports and exports.
In consultation with its major stakeholders, ARDAA wants to have this project delivered in two (2) phases: Phase I (short-term of 2 – 3 years), and Phase II (long-term – 3 years and beyond). ARDAA’s short-term strategy for the Lughaya Port Development Project (LPDP) is to raise funds, buy/build, and start-up operations of the port by providing (1) 100 -120 meter Jetty, and (2) medium size floating barge with a crane. This plan has been recommended by the ARDAA Board of Directors and endorsed by the elders, authorities and intellectuals of the Adal regions unanimously. Furthermore, the elders, authorities and community leaders in Somaliland, while endorsing and encouraging this project, took upon themselves to tackle the other necessary infrastructures, particularly the roads network, locally.
In early spring of 2008, about 54,000 square kilometers of Awdal and Salal regions were devastated by unusually freezing acid rains and torrential storms. 22 people were killed, 29 villages were destroyed and 141 families lost all of their livestock, which were estimated to exceed 400,000 sheep, goats and camel.
ARDAA Board of Directors coordinated the emergency relief and Diaspora contributions. Over 126 tons of food was distributed to 122,351 people and 1,410 livestock animals were bought and distributed to the 141 families who lost everything in the 9 villages that were hit hardest by the natural disaster.
In the aftermath of the freezing acid rains in 2008, and at the conclusion of the highly successful Ottawa Convention in July 2009, the organization has transitioned itself into a new phase of a comprehensive re-structuring and capacity building process. The goal was to establish strong, transparent, and sustainable organization with all the generic systems of governance as well as operations in place. This has been achieved by the empowerment of the grassroots community. Local chapters were formed throughout North America. These chapters have created a sense of ownership and a general feeling of belonging and sharing common interest, which energized the base. ARDAA has now become an icon of the community in the diaspora. It has gone international. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) chapter led the way for the non-North American participation.
Since the failure of the Somali Nation, Adalites have committed themselves to taking the destiny of development in their own hands. They have a proven record of accomplishments. They have built high schools, universities, hospitals, water catch basins and much more. ARDAA would like to congratulate the efforts and important developmental milestones as well as success stories achieved by our organizations: Amoud University (first of its kind in the region), IQRA (Gab boarding school), Amoud Foundation (Al-Hayatt Health Centre), and more recently ASARDA (roads network), and many other grass-roots agencies. We look forward to working with all our organizations in the very near future and to celebrating, together, yet another but critically important life changer, the Lughaya Seaport.
