Mohamed Ali laid down the foundation for a new highway connecting the presidential palace in Garowe with various other parts of the administrative capital. Financing for the project was provided by the Puntland government. According to the Head of the Puntland Highway Authority Mohamud Abdinur Adan, the new thoroughfare aims to facilitate local transportation and movement. Puntland Minister of Public Works Mohamed Hersi also indicated that the Puntland authorities plan to build and repair other roads linking to the regional urban centers. In March 2015, Puntland President Ali inaugurated additional newly built, paved roads in Garowe. The streets were constructed by a local company through the JPLG program. Puntland President Ali also inaugurated another new two kilometer asphalt road in Garowe, a construction project that was implemented by the municipal authorities. According to the Nugal province Governor Abdullahi Aw-Isse, the highway links the city's eastern neighborhoods with the downtown area, and aims to buttress the ongoing local infrastructure and commercial development initiatives. It is the eighth bitumen road completed in the town since 2014, with the Garowe municipality aiming to convert to asphalt all of the city's streets. In March 2015, Ali in conjunction with EU Ambassador to Somalia Michele Cervone d’Urso and German Ambassador to Somalia Andreas Peschke also launched the Sustainable Road Maintenance Project. Part of the New Deal Compact for Somalia, the initiative's implementation is facilitated by 17.75 million Euros and 3 million Euros provided by the EU and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), respectively. Among other objectives, the project aims to renovate the highway between Garowe and Galkayo, including funding refurbishments on the damaged segments of the road and construction of check dams and flood control structures. The initiative also involves a routine annual maintenance program, which focuses on side brushing, clearing bridges after floods, drainage and culvert clearance, and pothole filling. Additionally, the project will offer policy support to the Puntland Ministry of Public Works and the Puntland Highway Authority, and local contractors will receive on-the-job training to upgrade their skills. Local air transport needs are served by Garowe International Airport, a major airport situated about 12 km from the city center. It was officially opened in 2010 under the aegis of the Ministry for Civil Aviation and Airports. The first phase of the airport's construction was completed through a public-private partnership over a period of seven years, with the Garowe-based Mubarak construction company