Galdogob

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Galdogob street scene

Galdogob or Goldogob is a city located in the Mudug region of Somalia. It lies approximately 6 kilometers southeast of the border with Ethiopia.^[1]

Its population is about 140,000 people and consists largely of Muumin Aadan a sub-clan of Leelkase and itself a sub-clan of the Tanade-Darod. Galdogob is a very strategic city, as it is located on one of the oldest roads into Ethiopia's Somali-majority Ogaden district. It is a spot to rest for Somali travelers heading to and from Addis Ababa, Werder, Djibouti, Jijiga, Dire Dawa, and Geladi. Over 100 buses and heavy trucks pass through the city daily, thus generating income for the local merchants.

Galdogob is a rapidly growing city. It has the largest hospital in Somalia. It has a very reliable electricity and telecommunications sector. The city's fresh water is provided by the Galdogob Water System (GWS), which was founded by a group of local businessmen. All this has helped Galdogob develop into a large metropolitan city. It was, and still is, one of the most peaceful districts of Somalia during and after the fifteen-year absence of a central Somali national government. Visitors to Galdogob will find high-speed internet cafés, hotels, taxis, and all kinds of personal care. Education plays a vital role in the lives of the people, and private schools teach computer skills, English, mathematics, science, and Islamic studies. Galdogob International Airport is undergoing the final stages of the AFIN project, and is expected to be finished in early 2008.

Galdogob also has a thriving livestock industry: hundreds of thousands of camels, sheep, goats and cattle are bought from Galdogob and shipped through the busy port of Bosaso every year. Livestock in Galdogob District is highest during the Islamic Pilgrimage, when over a hundred thousand heads of livestock are sold and shipped to Arab states through Bosaso. Galdogob city has recently seen the arrival of immigrants from southern Somalia seeking work and a safer place to live.

Galdogob city is soon to be the transfer point of Goods between Somalia and Ethiopia. HAFZA (Horn of Africa Free Zone Authority) is undertaking a rail transport project.