Somalia: Dubai meeting reviews Garowe airport bid

DUBAI, Somalia, March 23, 2015 (Garowe Online)-A meeting aimed at reviewing  technical tenders from firms vying for a bid to build  a new airport for the Puntland capital has gotten underway in Dubai for the second day according to officials, Garowe Online reports.

Business executives, representatives from firms competing for the contract, and officials from Puntland government are attending the business meeting at a five-star hotel in the UAE’S port city of Dubai.

Sources at the meeting told Garowe Online that four unnamed firms were awarded the contract; however, officials say official announcement would be made by Kuwaiti Fund next month.

A Kuwait fund has donated for the airport’s construction as well as the Maakhir University.

The deals have the potential to boost Puntland’s capacity and hosting large number of local and international flights.

Puntland’s finance and aviation ministers were among the attendants of the meeting.

Puntland, a stable semiautonomous region in northern Somalia has attracted international attention with an Italian firm offered the construction for Bossaso airport, the region’s commercial hub.

Former Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole launched Bossaso airport bid, and approved a Kuwaiti loan totalling USD 10 M in an effort to improve the state's economic infrastructure in late 2013. 

GAROWEONLINE