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Increasing access to urban services in Somalia

15 October 2026

UNOPS is working with local municipalities in Somalia to improve access to climate-resilient urban infrastructure and other services, with financing from the World Bank. 

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This article was originally published 21 September 2022. Some of the information has been updated to reflect recent project developments. 

Latest updates

October 2026

  • A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the Garowe Stormwater Drainage Project. Implemented under the World Bank-financed Somalia Urban Resilience Project – Phase II. The project will address stormwater and flooding problems facing Garowe, where urban development has increased stormwater runoff and caused localized flooding, erosion of road shoulders, and damage to roads and other infrastructure.
  • The more sustainable and climate-resilient urban infrastructure will help Garowe mitigate flooding. This will help businesses continue operating and help the community maintain uninterrupted access to hospitals, schools, government facilities and other vital services even during the rainy season.

August 2026

  • As part of a new project agreement with the Ministry of Public Works, funded by the World Bank, UNOPS will conduct feasibility studies as well as detailed designs for a bridge and 40km of urban roads in Hargeisa under the Nagaad Project (Somalia Urban Resilience Project – Phase II).
  • "This is the seventh city in which we are now going to support important interventions like this one for the people of Somalia," said Ala'a Nemer, Director of UNOPS in Somalia.

13 March 2025

  • As part of the Nagaad Project (also known as the Somalia Urban Resilience Project – Phase II), UNOPS will continue to conduct feasibility studies and detailed design for critical infrastructure for Somalia's Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing.

  • The scope of the work includes the construction of roads in Baidoa, Kismayo, Dhusamareb, Beledweyne and Mogadishu; a feasibility study and detailed design of two new bridges and 10-kilometre connectivity roads in Beledweyne; a city-wide drainage design in Baidoa along with a 10-kilometre link road; and stormwater drainage in Mogadishu and Garowe.

Somalia’s cities are rapidly growing as conflict and natural disasters – including floods and drought – drive people from rural areas into urban ones. This rapid population growth can strain basic infrastructure and services.

Funded by the World Bank and its partners, the Somalia Urban Resilience Project – Phase II (SURP-II) aims to strengthen the public service delivery capacity of local governments, increase access to climate-resilient urban infrastructure and services, and provide immediate and effective response to crises and emergencies. The project is being implemented in Baidoa, Beledweyne, Dhusamareb, Garowe, Kismayo and Mogadishu.

To support the project, UNOPS helped design urban roads and drainage infrastructure in the municipalities of Baidoa, Garowe and Mogadishu (drainage and roads), as well as Beledweyne, Dhusamareb and Kismayo (roads only). UNOPS is also providing technical assistance on the implementation of road works in Baidoa, Garowe, Kismayo and Mogadishu. More than 36 kilometres of roads and a bridge are being built.

"The successful completion of this project will help people in cities like Baidoa – including people internally displaced due to conflict and drought – access vital services," said Abdullahi Ali Watiin, Mayor of Baidoa.

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