Mogadishu opens DARMAD Business Park to ease congestion at Aden Adde International Airport
MOGADISHU — Authorities on Saturday inaugurated a new commercial and parking complex inside Aden Adde International Airport, a project designed to curb traffic chaos and modernize services at Somalia’s busiest gateway.
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The DARMAD Business Park, funded by Amana Bank, introduces organized parking, banking services, business centers and passenger facilities within the airport perimeter. The development was formally opened by Banadir Regional Administration Governor and Mogadishu Mayor Dr. Hassan Mohamed Hussein, known as Muungaab, who cast the project as a practical answer to years of congestion and ad hoc parking around the terminal.
Cabinet ministers, lawmakers, senior officials and business leaders attended the ceremony, describing the complex as a boost to airport operations and a broader signal of confidence in Mogadishu’s recovery.
Amana Bank chairman Abdirisaq Hussein said the project took considerable time to complete and was developed in close coordination with the federal government to align with international norms.
“The main objective is to stop vehicles from parking in inappropriate areas and to establish a modern system aligned with international standards,” he said, adding that the facility would improve safety and order for passengers and airport users.
Muungaab praised private-sector participation and said the Banadir administration is deepening cooperation with investors to accelerate urban development.
“This partnership between government and the private sector is essential for rebuilding the capital and improving public services,” he said.
Petroleum and Minerals Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed stressed that maintaining security and proper management will be critical to the complex’s effectiveness, calling DARMAD Business Park a service that enhances both order and appearance at the airport.
“Security and adherence to procedures are the foundation of this project’s success,” he said, welcoming Amana Bank’s investment and urging further private-sector engagement in national infrastructure.
Operational officials emphasized the practical benefits. Ahmed Moalim, director of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority, said bottlenecks and frequent vehicle collisions had often disrupted traffic flow at the airport, creating safety risks and delays. “This project solves a long-standing problem,” he said, crediting the Banadir administration for facilitating its implementation.
Aden Adde Airport manager Abdinasir Mohamud Gurey framed the opening as a milestone within a wider restructuring plan intended to sharpen the airport’s competitiveness against regional and international peers. “This is a strong beginning,” he said, while noting more upgrades are still required to complete the modernization process and further improve passenger services.
The DARMAD Business Park is expected to streamline vehicle movement by channeling cars into designated areas, reducing conflicts between passenger drop-offs, commercial traffic and airport operations. Officials say the centralized services — including banking and business facilities — should also limit unnecessary trips in and out of the compound, further easing pressure on roads leading to the terminal.
Aden Adde International Airport has seen gradual improvements amid persistent security and infrastructure challenges. Projects such as DARMAD, officials and investors say, are part of an incremental push to normalize services and present a more orderly and predictable travel experience in a city long shaped by conflict.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
