EU launches Berbera Beach Project With the Berbera Municipality and UN-Habitat

Today, the European Union held a ground-breaking ceremony to launch the Berbera Beach Development, part of the EU funded Urban development project that was launched in 2020. The Beach component will be implemented by the Berbera Municipality and UN-Habitat over the next 7 months.

The Berbera Beach project, which will particularly focus on inclusion and livelihood creation, will have the following areas: a family area, a female-only area where girls and women can enjoy the beach and the sea freely, sports and youth facilities for girls and boys, a market area, a recycling facility and pocket spaces reserved as public areas to rest, play, host street vendors or small cultural activities.  

“The new Berbera beach project will not only be an attractive recreation opportunity for the people of Berbera, but also a unique economic opportunity. It will attract a large number of visitors and thus create revenues for the region, business opportunities for the private sector, and direct and indirect employment for residents,” said the EU Ambassador to Somalia, Nicolas Berlanga Martinez.

“The public space development at the beach will unlock its potential as an asset for tourism. Consequently, these public spaces will create a vibrant and accessible environment that integrate the needs of a variety of stakeholders, especially the most vulnerable groups such as children, youth, girls, waste pickers and those working in the informal sector,” said Ishaku Maitumbi, Officer in charge of UN-Habitat Somalia Programme.

The municipality identified the beachfront as a priority area for the urban regeneration of Berbera following the current trends of the city growth and the recommendations from the review of the 2017 Strategic Development Plan.