[5] Berbera Port historically served as a naval and missile base for the Somali central government.

[9][10] In May 2016, DP World signed a US$442 million agreement with the government of Somaliland to operate a regional trade and logistics hub at the Port of Berbera.

On 1 March 2018, Ethiopia became a major shareholder following an agreement with DP World and the Somaliland Port Authority.

DP World holds a 51% stake in the project, Somaliland 30% and CDC Group the remaining 19%.

[13] The agreement comes as part of a larger government-to-government Memorandum of understanding between Government of the United Arab Emirates and the Administration of Somaliland to further strengthen their strategic ties.