Recently, the government of Somalia set deadlines for completing the rehabilitation of the Waheen market, which was destroyed in April.
According to the Minister of Religious Endowment, Sh. Abdirisaq Hussein Albani, and the mayor of Hargeisa, Abdikarim Ahmed Mooge, plans are near completion. He added that private investors and the government are working together through the technical committee of the reconstruction to make sure the market is reconstructed and reopened as soon as possible.
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The marketplace, which was burned down on April 1 of this year, resulted in losses of up to $2 billion. Both large and small-scale enterprises had to take a hit. Landowners at the market were directed by Minister Abdirisaq Hussein Albani to have their construction plans completed by October 22.
Albani pointed out that the owners of four sections or blocks in burnt areas have not yet processed their construction plans and asked them to meet with the technical committee immediately to address the issues.
The funding for the construction of the Waheen market
45% of the construction funds will be distributed by the national committee after the plans are completed. The minister stated that those Waheen market landowners who have not yet submitted their proposals should do so straight away.
The market should open as soon as possible, according to Mayor Ahmed Mooge, who also pushed for immediate construction. The Waheen market, according to the mayor, cannot remain closed. The government is determined to reopen it and resume normal operations. In order for this to be possible, the business should heed the board’s notifications.
The largest market in Somaliland and one of the biggest in the Horn of Africa region, Waaheen, where hundreds of people gather daily to conduct business, caught fire on April 1.
At least 28 people were injured in the recent fire that damaged Hargeisa’s Waheen market. It is said to be a crucial source of income for the city’s residents.
