Togdheer
Togdheer's Burao anchors Somaliland's interior, livestock trade flowing toward Berbera port (DP World $442M investment) amid Ethiopia integration.
Togdheer occupies Somaliland's center where Burao, the second city, hosts commercial activity that diversifies the economy beyond Hargeisa and Berbera. The region's position along routes connecting Somaliland's ports to Ethiopian trade creates transit function that the 2024 Ethiopia MOU could amplify.
Livestock trade—the 40% of Somali GDP and 50%+ of exports—flows through Togdheer toward Berbera port, the commercial relationships that DP World's $442 million investment targets for expansion. Ethiopia's 19% stake in Berbera port (alongside DP World's 51% and Somaliland's 30%) creates the economic integration that the MOU's political ambitions extend.
Somaliland's peaceful governance since 1991, including democratic transitions and the 2001 constitutional referendum, provides stability that enables commercial development. Whether international recognition eventually follows economic integration—or whether Togdheer remains part of an unrecognized state—depends on geopolitical dynamics that local prosperity cannot directly influence.