First official Somaliland delegation visits Israel, tours wastewater recycling plant
The visit aimed to present to Somaliland decision-makers the solutions developed in Israel to address water shortages and manage a complex water economy.
The first official delegation from Somaliland arrived in Israel on Monday for a visit, following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state of Somalia in December 2025.
The delegation is expected to focus on establishing professional relationships, with the main objective of exporting technologies from the agriculture and water recycling sectors.
The Somaliland delegation visited the National Center for Water Education and Innovation at the Shafdan Wastewater Treatment Complex in Rishon LeZion, which houses advanced laboratories, training rooms and co-working spaces where academics, engineers and start-ups can test new approaches to water recycling, climate resilience and energy efficiency.
Water, a key diplomatic link with Somaliland
For Somaliland, a country of around 6.2 million people in the Horn of Africa, water management poses a major challenge in its development, with shortages of drinking water, frequent droughts, heavy reliance on groundwater, limited advanced monitoring systems and significant water losses in municipal networks.
The delegation was led by the Director General of the Somaliland Ministry of Water, Aden Abdullah Abdullah, and included the ministry’s Chief Engineer, Omar Ahmed Ibrahim, as well as other senior officials from the Somaliland Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The visit aimed to introduce Somaliland decision-makers to solutions developed in Israel to address water shortages and manage a complex water economy in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges.
In addition to exposure to water and wastewater planning, operation and treatment systems, options for future cooperation, vocational training and water infrastructure development in the country are also examined, including brackish water desalination plants, water source monitoring and management systems and solutions to reduce water losses in municipal networks.
