Reports in early January, 2002 indicated that around 300 Ethiopian soldiers were deployed in Garowe (capital of Puntland) with other Ethiopian troops reportedly moving into the neighbouring Bay region and around Baidoa.
The host of the conference Prime Minister David Cameron mentioned in his opening speech that the second meeting held in Garowe had made real progress.
In the cities of Garowe, Bosaso and Hargeisa, construction firms have built hotels, government facilities, airports and residential neighbourhoods in a modernist style, often utilizing chrome, steel and glass materials.