Somaliland's President Seeks Investment Opportunities with Eric Trump in Davos

Sat Jan 24 2026 00:11:59 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

During the World Economic Forum, Somaliland's President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi engaged in discussions with Eric Trump to promote business prospects in the region, particularly in agriculture and livestock.

In a significant move to attract foreign investment, Somaliland's President met with Eric Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The discussions centered on enhancing relations and exploring business opportunities in key sectors such as agriculture and livestock, following Israel's recent recognition of Somaliland. The meetings aim to shift Somaliland's approach from seeking aid to offering its resources for global investment.

The president of Somaliland has held separate talks with his Israeli counterpart, as well as the second son of the US leader, as the breakaway region continues to seek international recognition and foreign investment.

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi met Isaac Herzog and businessman Eric Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

''Our discussions focused on strengthening and advancing bilateral relations between the Republic of Somaliland and the State of Israel,'' Abdullahi said in a post on X about the meeting with Herzog.

Last month, Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland - 35 years after it declared independence from Somalia.

President Cirro, as he is known in Somaliland, shared images on social media of the closed-door event, which was reportedly organised by the Greek House Davos programme, a private forum for discreet high-level gatherings.

Abdirahman Bayle, an advisor to Somaliland's leader, told the BBC that Eric Trump had ''expressed interest in Somaliland and the opportunities it offers''.

''Among the issues we discussed were global investors in the livestock and agriculture sectors, so that we can industrialise these sectors and export to the rest of the world," Bayle added.

Eric Trump does not have any official US government position but holds a senior role at the Trump Organization, which runs the family's businesses. The BBC has approached his representatives for comment but has not received a response.

During the talks, the president emphasised Somaliland's openness to investment, pointing to the deep-water port of Berbera as a potential logistics hub for trade and energy infrastructure.

Bayle told the BBC that his government's approach had shifted. For the first time, we are not asking the world for aid, he said. We are offering our resources.

Earlier this month, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland for the first time and said Israel was determined to advance relations with Somaliland with momentum.

Somaliland has governed itself since it broke away from Somalia in 1991. It has held its own elections, issued its own currency, and maintained relative stability compared with much of southern Somalia, although its independence has not been recognized by most of the international community until now.