Horn of Africa Leaders Open Shabeely Resort in Ethiopia’s Somali Region

Jigjiga, Ethiopia (AX) — The leaders of Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti on Saturday jointly inaugurated Shabeely Resort, a 385-hectare tourism and development project in Ethiopia’s Somali Region, positioning it as a flagship for regional integration and economic cooperation in the Horn of Africa.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh presided over the ceremony, which Ethiopian officials framed as a catalytic moment for cross-border tourism, trade and connectivity under the country’s Dine for Generations initiative.

• Project: Shabeely Resort, Ethiopian Somali Region
• Scale: 385 hectares
• Backers: Ethiopian government’s Dine for Generations initiative
• Attendees: Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Ethiopia’s Abiy Ahmed, Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh
• Purpose: Promote regional tourism, trade and integration

The three leaders’ visit included tours of newly developed tourist sites across the Shabelle area of the Somali Region, part of a broader push to showcase cultural heritage and natural landscapes that have long been overshadowed by instability. Ethiopian authorities say the projects aim to diversify the economy, attract investment and elevate the Somali Region’s profile within a national tourism strategy that prioritizes conservation, accessibility and hospitality infrastructure.

The initiative arrives with larger ambitions: Ethiopian planners describe it as one pillar in a long-term effort to reposition the Horn of Africa as a hub for economic cooperation. The region connects the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and inland East Africa, a strategic crossroads that has struggled to realize its potential because of decades of conflict, political fragmentation and underinvestment.

Abiy has increasingly used high-profile openings to telegraph development momentum and regional outreach. He has previously invited neighboring leaders, including Somali officials, to mark infrastructure milestones such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam — a project whose operations were temporarily halted last year, underscoring sensitivities over shared resources and cross-border water politics.

Saturday’s inauguration also lands at a delicate diplomatic moment. Ties between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa have warmed in recent months following tensions sparked by a failed agreement between Ethiopia and North Western State of Somalia. At the same time, Ethiopian officials have voiced concern about Somalia’s deepening relationship with Egypt, a rival power with competing interests along the Nile basin. The Shabeely event, with three heads of state sharing a stage, offered a visible counterweight: a public endorsement of cooperation through development rather than confrontation.

Project backers describe Shabeely Resort as a showcase for the Somali Region’s cultural heritage, blending contemporary design with traditional aesthetics rooted in local history. Beyond attracting visitors, Ethiopian officials say the resort and its surrounding sites are intended to support jobs, small businesses and cross-border commerce — a practical complement to the rhetoric of integration.

For Somalia and Djibouti, the project’s promise aligns with their own economic priorities: expanding connectivity, drawing diaspora spending and stabilizing border economies through legal trade and tourism. While major security and political challenges remain, the resort’s inauguration underscores a shared calculation among the three governments that visible, visitor-facing investments can help shift perceptions of the Horn and expand the space for cooperation.

Whether Shabeely becomes a sustainable destination will hinge on continued infrastructure upgrades, reliable security and coordinated policies that ease movement of people and goods. For now, the opening offers a symbolic and practical statement — that the Somali Region’s landscapes and culture are central to a renewed Horn of Africa tourism corridor, and that regional leaders are prepared to promote it together.

By Ali Musa

Axadle Times international–Monitoring.