up various environmental protection measures in the region, with the aim of promoting reforestation and afforestation. In April 2015, the Takaful Insurance Company officially launched a new office in Garowe. The firm provides Sharia compliant insurance for real estate properties and vehicles. Economy In April 2013, the Puntland Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources officially inaugurated a new fish market in Garowe. Constructed in conjunction with the UK authorities and the UNDP, it is part of a larger regional development plan which will see two other similar marketplaces launched within the year in Galkayo and Qardho. In March 2014, the Puntland Chamber of Commerce oversaw a launching event in Garowe for the construction of a new Iftin Bank. The function was attended by Somali business community officials and tycoons, whom the Chamber of Commerce Chairman Saed Hussein Eid encouraged to invest within the region. Highlighting Puntland's commercial potential, its natural resources and large reserves, the regional Minister of Commerce also expressed support for entrepreneurs with investments earmarked for the petroleum, livestock and agriculture sectors. In October 2014, the firm Tawakal Money Express (Tawakal) also began construction of the four-storey Tawakal Plaza Garowe. The new high rise is slated to be completed by the end of 2015, and will feature a Tawakal Global Bank customer and financial services center, office spaces, multi-purpose rooms, and an upscale shopping mall. In March 2015, the Ministry of Labour, Youth and Sports in conjunction with the European Union and World Vision launched the Nugal Empowerment for Better Livelihood Project in the Garowe, Dangorayo, Eyl, Godobjiran and Burtinle districts of Puntland. The three-year initiative is valued at $3 million EUR, and is part of the New Deal Compact for Somalia. It aims buttress the regional economic sector through business support, training and non-formal education programs, community awareness workshops, and mentoring and networking drives. Transportation Garowe is traversed by a 750 km north–south highway. It connects major cities in the northern part of the country, such as Bosaso and Galkayo, with towns in the south. In 2012, the Puntland Highway Authority (PHA) completed rehabilitation work on the central artery linking Garowe with Galkayo. The transportation body also began an upgrade and repair project in June 2012 on the large Garowe–Bosaso Highway. Additionally, plans are in the works to construct new roads connecting littoral towns in the region to the main thoroughfare. In October 2014, Puntland President Abdiweli