Taipei-based group breaks ground on Somaliland livestock hub
US$20m venture targets exports to Middle East
Photo source: Saxafi Media
A Taiwan-led consortium has broken ground on a US$20m livestock quarantine zone in the Somaliland port of Berbera, marking Taipei’s first major private-sector investment play in the de facto independent state.
Developed by the Taipei-based Central Sky International Trading Co – a diversified trading company specialising in agricultural products – the venture aims to modernise livestock export infrastructure and strengthen regional supply chains linked to Gulf markets.
Somaliland is one of East Africa’s largest livestock exporters, primarily supplying cattle, sheep, goats, and camels to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. The country’s annual exports of 2.35m head are valued at US$160m, but modernisation has become imperative as international markets impose stricter quarantine and certification standards.
To address these requirements, Central Sky is developing an 88-hectare facility equipped with automated quarantine platforms and digital traceability systems. The project will leverage Taiwanese electronic identification technology to track livestock, alongside solar photovoltaic power and bio-circulation waste treatment systems to ensure sustainable operations.
A partially recognised state that declared independence from Somalia in 1991, Somaliland established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 2020, drawing the fury of Somalia and China.
Central Sky has already signed agreements with several major Middle Eastern meat-processing and abattoir groups, positioning the project to support a supply of up to 1m head of livestock annually once fully operational. Headwater Capital, a Taiwanese venture firm, led the investment structure, which involves domestic, Saudi Arabian, and American capital.
The first phase of construction will continue until the third quarter of 2026, paving the way for operational testing later in the year. Full commercial operations are expected to begin in early 2027.
References
'Investment', Taiwan Representative Office in the Republic of Somaliland, 17 August 2020
'Somaliland and Taiwan: two territories with few friends but each other', BBC News, 13 April 2021
'Taiwan’s Central Sky International secures landmark quarantine license in Somaliland paving the way for global livestock trade modernization', GlobeNewswire, 19 November 2025
'Taiwan-led $20 million quarantine zone breaks ground in Somaliland', Yahoo Finance, 21 January 2026
