WFP working to boost capacity at Djibouti port

WFP is currently working to increase off-loading capacity at Djibouti port which could face “significant congestion” with the anticipated substantial increases in the amount of food aid due to arrive in the coming months. A WFP official in Addis Ababa told IRIN on Wednesday the agency had initiated a special operation to clear up and expand the port to enable it to function more efficiently. She said WFP was seeking some US $2.5 million for the project. “WFP intends to build weigh bridges in the port,” she said. “We are hoping to strengthen the administrative unit so that the port can work 24 hours a day.” WFP has also identified other options of using Port Sudan in Sudan or Berbera in Somaliland. The European Union has successfully tested the possibility of using the port of Berbera with a food aid shipment.