A Taiwanese company has secured a landmark quarantine license to build Somaliland’s largest livestock quarantine and traceability hub, modernizing exports and deepening Taiwan–Somaliland ties
HARGEISA, Somaliland — On a windswept stretch of land just inland from the Gulf of Aden, 88 hectares of scrub and sand are being cleared for what may become one of the most ambitious livestock infrastructure projects ever built in the Horn of Africa.
Here, a Taiwanese company — Central Sky International Trading Co. — has received a national-level license from Somaliland’s government to construct and operate a large-scale livestock quarantine and certification zone. The move is part agribusiness venture, part economic diplomacy, and part experiment in how modern supply chains might reach one of Africa’s oldest pastoral economies.
For a territory that exports millions of animals each year but struggles with outdated quarantine systems and limited international recognition, the deal represents a rare intersection of technology, capital and political will.
“This is not just about animals. It’s about systems — and about bringing Somaliland into the modern global supply chain.” — Alyne Chen, general manager, Central Sky International
A trade lifeline built on hooves
For more than a century, livestock has been the beating economic heart of Somaliland. Cattle, sheep, goats and camels stream each year from the interior rangelands to the port city of Berbera, destined for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and beyond.
Livestock accounts for an estimated 60 to 70 percent of export earnings and supports the livelihoods of millions across Somaliland’s rural communities.
But while the trade has remained central, the systems behind it have stubbornly lagged behind global standards.
Over the years, occasional disease outbreaks — real or suspected — have triggered import bans from Gulf States, dealing severe blows to local herders and traders. In an era when buyers increasingly demand digital traceability and standardized health certification, Somaliland’s traditional livestock inspection systems have been struggling to keep pace.
“International buyers want to see the full journey — where the animal was raised, how it was vaccinated, how it was quarantined,” said Mohamed Said Ahmed, a livestock economist at the University of Hargeisa. “Right now, our systems are too fragmented for that level of transparency.”
That gap is exactly where Central Sky believes it can make its mark.
Inside the Taiwanese plan
Central Sky International, based in Taipei, specializes in agricultural trading and supply chain solutions across Asia, the Middle East and parts of Africa. Its project near Berbera is designed as a comprehensive livestock quarantine and export management hub, combining infrastructure, technology and certification under one system.
According to company officials, the zone will include:
- A digital livestock identity and traceability system, enabling animals to be tracked from local markets to international shipping.
- An automated quarantine and health monitoring platform to ensure compliance with veterinary standards required in Gulf and Asian markets.
- Renewable energy and bio-circulation systems aimed at reducing environmental impact and improving operational sustainability.
Once fully operational, the facility is expected to handle up to one million head of livestock per year, making it one of the largest quarantine platforms in the region.
“This is not just a physical facility,” said Alyne Chen, Central Sky’s general manager, during a recent ceremony in Hargeisa. “It’s a system for trust — between Somaliland’s producers and the international market.”
“Gulf buyers don’t just want animals. They want assurance. That’s what this project is really selling.” — Mohamed Said Ahmed, livestock economist
Political support — and symbolism
The project has received strong backing from Somaliland’s newly elected president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro, whose administration has prioritized agricultural modernization and foreign investment as pillars of its economic strategy.
In a statement released by his office, Irro called the Central Sky project “a key step toward building a transparent, modern and competitive livestock supply chain for Somaliland.”
Symbolically, the deal also carries broader implications.
Somaliland restored independence in 1991 and has maintained its own government, currency and security forces since. Yet it remains unrecognized by most of the international community, limiting its access to international institutions and formal trade agreements.
Taiwan, which faces its own diplomatic isolation due to pressure from China, has cultivated closer ties with Somaliland in recent years. Their cooperation — spanning health, education and now trade — has become a quiet but visible example of what analysts describe as “partnership through mutual isolation.”
“This is economic diplomacy through enterprise,” said Abdiwahab Mohamud, a Horn of Africa analyst based in Nairobi. “Neither side has many official allies, so they are building influence through practical cooperation instead.”
Financing a supply-chain experiment
The project is being supported by Headwater Capital (TW), a Taiwan-based venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments in technology and cross-border expansion.
Headwater plans to establish an offshore investment fund to attract capital from Asian and Middle Eastern investors looking to enter Africa’s agricultural supply chain sector.
For investors, Somaliland is both a risk and an opportunity.
On one hand, it lacks formal international recognition and still faces infrastructure challenges — from power shortages to limited financial integration. On the other, it offers relative stability compared with much of Somalia and a commanding position on one of the world’s busiest maritime routes.
“There is a first-mover advantage here,” said Chen. “If you get the system right in Somaliland, it becomes a blueprint for other parts of East Africa.”
Berbera: From port town to logistics artery
Few places symbolize Somaliland’s transformation more than Berbera.
Once a modest colonial-era port, the city has in recent years become a focal point for regional infrastructure investment. Upgrades to the port and road links to Ethiopia have turned Berbera into an increasingly important logistics corridor for East Africa.
The Central Sky quarantine zone fits directly into that strategy.
Livestock arriving from interior regions would undergo digital registration and health checks at the facility before being shipped directly through the port — reducing bottlenecks, improving certification credibility and potentially increasing export prices for local traders.
“You cannot build a modern port without modern export systems behind it,” Ahmed said. “This project connects the two.”
“Berbera is no longer just a port. It’s becoming a gateway. And livestock is its backbone.” — Abdiwahab Mohamud, Horn of Africa analyst
Beyond trade: Jobs, skills and standards
Beyond exports, the project is expected to bring new forms of employment and technical training to Somaliland.
Central Sky has pledged to hire and train local staff in veterinary technology, digital data systems and facility management. It has also indicated it will partner with local universities and technical institutes to build skills in supply-chain management.
“This is not a short-term trading post,” Chen said. “We are investing in local capacity — in people who will eventually run and expand this system themselves.”
For many young Somalilanders facing limited formal job opportunities, the prospect of skilled positions in a modern export facility represents a rare pathway into global-facing industries.
“We need projects that don’t just move goods, but also build skills,” said Ahmed. “Otherwise, development becomes temporary.”
A model — or an exception?
Across East Africa, livestock-exporting countries face similar challenges: disease control, lack of standardized certification, and fragmented supply chains.
If successful, the Central Sky model could offer a template for neighboring countries like Ethiopia, Djibouti or Somalia — where livestock remains economically vital but structurally underdeveloped.
But analysts caution that the project’s success will depend not only on technology, but also on consistent governance, local cooperation and long-term investment.
“Systems like this don’t fail because of bad software,” Mohamud said. “They fail because of politics, power cuts, and lack of institutional follow-through.”
For now, though, optimism is running high.
At Hargeisa’s main livestock market, trader Abdirahman Hassan watched news of the deal on his phone while negotiating prices with a buyer from Togdheer region.
“We’ve always lived from this trade,” he said. “If these people can help us sell better, with better prices and fewer bans, then they’re welcome.”
A quiet experiment with global implications
In a world of trade wars, sanctions and shifting alliances, the deal between a Taiwanese company and an unrecognized African territory may seem like a footnote.
But for the millions who depend on livestock in Somaliland — and for policymakers searching for new models of development in fragile regions — it could become something more: a test case for how technology, trade and diplomacy intersect beyond the headlines.
“This is a small place,” Ahmed said, looking toward the port road stretching north. “But sometimes small places become big examples.”
Central Sky International Trading Co., based in Taipei, Taiwan, is a diversified trading company specializing in livestock, meat, and agricultural commodities. With a strong footprint across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, the company integrates trade, logistics, and technology-driven solutions to enhance transparency and efficiency across the global supply chain.
Headwater Capital is a Taiwan-based investment firm specializing in early-stage and pre-series startups, with a focus on technology, renewable energy and cross-border business expansion between Taiwan and Asia.
