Turkiye and Somalia are deepening a strategic military and maritime partnership as Mogadishu moves to expand its coastal infrastructure, with Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre confirming plans for a Turkish backed investment estimated at nearly $4 billion in the Warsheekh area.
The proposed development, which is expected to include a major port, a special economic zone and industrial facilities, would add a significant economic dimension to a security relationship that has increasingly focused on strengthening Somalia’s military and maritime capabilities.
Barre said the project would be located near a planned launch centre, potentially linking the development to Somalia’s longer-term ambitions in space technology, maritime trade and strategic infrastructure.
The details of the financing structure, construction timetable and Turkish companies involved have yet to be publicly disclosed in official sources reviewed for this report.
The Warsheekh proposal comes as Turkiye’s military engagement with Somalia enters a new phase under the Defence and Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement signed in February 2024.
The 10-year agreement provides for Turkiye to help build, train and equip the Somali Navy while supporting maritime security and the protection of Somalia’s territorial waters.
The agreement expanded a relationship that had already developed substantially since Turkiye began supporting Somalia’s reconstruction and security institutions more than a decade ago. Turkiye established the TURKSOM military training facility in Mogadishu in 2017, where Somali soldiers have received training as part of efforts to develop national security forces. Ankara has also provided training, equipment, and advisory support to Somali forces.
Maritime security has become particularly important to the bilateral relationship. Somalia has one of Africa’s longest coastlines, stretching across strategically important waters along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The country has sought to strengthen its capacity to combat terrorism, piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and other maritime threats.
In July 2026, Türkiye’s parliament approved the extension of the deployment of Turkish armed forces in Somalia for another two years. The mandate covers support for Somalia against terrorism and other security threats, including piracy, illegal fishing, and smuggling. Ankara has also highlighted the importance of maritime security in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and surrounding waters.
The military cooperation is therefore increasingly connected to Somalia’s efforts to generate economic value from its maritime resources. The 2024 framework specifically links defence cooperation with economic interests, including the protection and development of Somalia’s marine resources.
The proposed Warsheekh port could become part of this broader strategy if implemented, creating infrastructure capable of supporting commercial shipping, industrial activity and maritime logistics while strengthening Somalia’s control over its coastal economy.
The development also has wider geopolitical significance for the Horn of Africa. Turkiye has positioned itself as a major partner of the Somali federal government while repeatedly affirming Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ankara also played a diplomatic role in easing tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia through the Ankara Declaration of December 2024, which addressed Ethiopia’s search for secure access to the sea while affirming Somalia’s territorial integrity.
For Mogadishu, closer cooperation with Ankara comes as the government continues its campaign against al-Shabaab and works to build security institutions capable of assuming greater responsibility for national security.
For Turkiye, the partnership provides a platform for long-term engagement in the Horn of Africa, combining defence cooperation, maritime security, infrastructure, trade and diplomacy.
The reported $4 billion Warsheekh project would therefore represent more than a port investment. If implemented, it could become another major pillar of a relationship in which military cooperation, maritime security and economic infrastructure are increasingly interconnected.
At the same time, the scale of the proposed investment means that questions over financing, ownership, implementation, environmental impact and the precise relationship between the port, proposed industrial zone and security infrastructure are likely to attract close attention as further details emerge.
