In a landmark development for East African agribusiness, Taiwan-based Central Sky International Trading Co. has been granted Somaliland’s first national-level livestock quarantine license, clearing the way for an 88-hectare (approximately 120 football-field-sized) state-of-the-art quarantine and export hub just outside Berbera Port.
The announcement, made following high-level meetings in Hargeisa, received direct endorsement from Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro, who described the project as “a pivotal step toward building a transparent, modern, and globally competitive livestock supply chain.”
Somaliland remains one of the largest live-animal exporters in East Africa, shipping hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, goats, and camels annually – primarily to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman. However, tightening international health and traceability requirements have made large-scale modernization essential.
Central Sky’s new facility will introduce:
- A fully digital livestock identification and end-to-end traceability system
- Automated health screening and quarantine management platforms
- Renewable energy and closed-loop bio-circulation systems for sustainability
Once fully operational, the hub is projected to handle up to one million head of livestock per year. The company has already signed binding offtake agreements with several of the Gulf region’s largest meat processors and abattoir groups.
“This is far more than an export project,” said Alyne Chen, General Manager of Central Sky International. “We are exporting an entire standards-based, traceable, and transparent ecosystem that benefits Somali pastoralists, Gulf buyers, and everyone in between. It also brings jobs, training, and lasting infrastructure to local communities.”
The investment is being structured by Taipei-based Headwater Capital, which plans to launch an offshore fund to attract additional Asian and Middle Eastern institutional investors into Africa’s fast-growing agri-supply chain sector.
Strategically located adjacent to the rapidly expanding Berbera Port – which has seen major upgrades backed by DP World and other partners – the quarantine zone positions Somaliland as an increasingly important logistics gateway between Africa, the Gulf, and Asia.
Despite Somaliland’s ongoing lack of international recognition, the deal underscores growing private-sector confidence in the republic’s stability and economic potential. Industry observers say the project could serve as a replicable model for modernizing livestock trade across the wider Horn of Africa, dramatically improving disease control, transparency, and market access.
For Taiwan, the initiative represents a new form of “enterprise-driven economic diplomacy,” leveraging private investment and technology to forge durable partnerships in strategically important regions.
Construction of the first phase of the quarantine hub is expected to begin in early 2026, with initial operations slated for late 2027.