Jubbaland commissions 150KM road project between Kismayu town and Afmadow

Jubbaland has commissioned a 150-kilometer road project connecting Kismayu and Afmadow.

This comes amid the flushing out of the terror group al-Shabaab.

Late last year, shortly after President Hassan Sheikh Mohammud took office from the immediate former president, Mohammed Farmajo, a few major attacks occurred, and many Somali nationals were killed; as a result, President Hassan Sheikh publicly declared the fight against terror group Al Shabaab and encouraged locals in Somali's major cities to join hands with the Somali National Army to help them defeat the terror group.

During the fight against Alshabab, Jubaland communities banded together with their local government to voluntarily assist the government in the construction of the 150-kilometer marrum road connecting Kismayu and Afmadow.

According to Jubaland president Ahmed Madobe, the project will be expanded to other parts of the port city of Kismayu, and he is grateful for the communities' support and cooperation. Already the construction of first 48km of project has already been done. 

“I thank you [residents] for giving this project the necessary support it deserves and ensure the construction is successful and achieved without any interruption,” Madobe said.

He added that this will ease transportation and reduce terror group attacks, which previously used to plant (IEDs), and reassured residents that heavy security was deployed in areas where infrastructure development is taking place.

“I want to urge the communities living in Kismayu to join hands and fight the al-shabaab insurgents as we continue developing our country,”Madobe said 

He stated that the Jubbaland administration is committed to implementing a number of infrastructure development projects, but he cautioned construction companies and state departments against shoddy work.

The former  advisor of Jubbaland president general Abdi Mahdi speaking during launching the project welcomed the initiative  and said in one hand we will confidently fight any act of terrorism that may diminish peaceful coexistence as well as causing instability in running different effective and sustainable government projects. 

“We will make good connection of roads also in telecommunications sector to enhance security, infrastructure and rural urban continuum,” said mahdi 

He also urged the opposition allied with President Farmajo's former regime to wait until the end of their terms to allow the government time to implement development projects.