Ahmed Osman Guelleh built a logistics and beverage empire around Djibouti’s ports and Somaliland’s Coca-Cola plant. Now competition is testing his hold.
The logistics side came first. Through GSK Group, Guelleh operated across the services that surround Djibouti’s port complex and Ethiopia-facing transit routes: agency work for carriers, freight forwarding and storage. His operating footprint was tied directly to the country’s maritime economy at a time when Djibouti became a critical shipping hub.
Manufacturing followed. In 2010, he founded Somaliland Beverage Industries (SBI) and, two years later, opened a Coca-Cola plant on the outskirts of Hargeisa. At the time, it was billed as the largest industrial investment in Somaliland. The move pushed his influence beyond shipping and into consumer goods, giving him a stake in a high-volume category with steady cash flow and broad market reach.
As his influence grew, so did scrutiny. Competitors and industry insiders have long argued that Guelleh used his access to logistics choke points to secure contracts, storage and distribution advantages. He developed a reputation as a “gatekeeper” in port services and beverage distribution, with much of his market power resting on proximity to key infrastructure rather than public visibility.
In recent years, that dynamic has shifted. His once-stable position has been tested by changes in Djibouti’s political and commercial environment, including new logistics operators and external investors entering the market. People familiar with his group say the bottling business in Somaliland has become a central pillar of his operations, while his logistics interests are being repositioned toward Gulf-linked partnerships and less politically sensitive corridors.
Throughout this period, Guelleh has shown a consistent instinct for assets positioned close to essential demand. Beverages fit that profile. SBI’s Hargeisa plant anchors a product line—Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and bottled water—that moves reliably through established trucking lanes and into fast-growing urban markets. The facility has become a notable industrial employer in Somaliland and a rare example of manufacturing investment with regional reach.
The larger question is how durable his position will be. Djibouti’s logistics sector is more competitive than at any point in the past decade, and the beverage industry is undergoing consolidation as major bottlers tighten their African portfolios. In such an environment, owner-operators like Guelleh must compete on execution and reliability, not just access.
There is still opportunity. The Horn of Africa remains one of the most strategically located trade corridors in the world, and its consumer base is expanding rapidly. But the old advantages of informal influence and privileged relationships are weakening. For Guelleh, the next phase of his career will depend less on proximity to power and more on operational discipline: efficiency at ports, dependable distribution, stable cash cycles and predictable performance.
If he succeeds in adapting, his story could mark a shift from relationship-driven power to results-driven competition in one of Africa’s most strategically sensitive markets. If he does not, his business network may become a case study in how influence without operational depth struggles to survive in a changing regional economy.
