By: Yusuf M Hasan
Hargeisa (THT) Somaliland has received invitation to the prestigious annual World Assembly and Awards of Excellence hosted by the oil Council.
The official invitation extended to the ministry of Energy and Minerals shall see the minister Eng Hussein Abdi Duale address the over 100 executives from world’s leading oil and banking firms on issues pertaining to the Somaliland energy sector.
According to the Oil Council the annual World Assembly and Awards of Excellence which shall be held from 17th of November, 2014, 18th of November, 2014 Lancaster Hotel, London, UK where Europe’s Largest Business Conference for Oil and Gas Executives shall see a number of them receive Awards of Excellence
For Somaliland which is continuously attracting the attention of international bodies with energy interests, it shall not only be an opportunity for the minister Eng Hussein Abdi Duale to showcase the energy potentials existing in country but an even bigger opportunity to rub shoulders with the world’s and more importantly Europe’s Oil and Gas Executives.
Upon Somalilandsun queries to Eng Hussein Abdi Duale on the importance of the two days conference, the energy minister adding voice to the oil council’s said there are 9 top Reasons to Attend the World Assembly and Awards of Excellence: namely
1. Benefit from high quality networking withO&Gsenior executives and both private & institutional investors
2. Hear fromover 100 senior, industry leading speakers
3. Immerse yourself in an agenda of essential business intelligence & over 30 hours of content
4. Focus on your regions of interest: Where are the best investment opportunities to be found from Iraq/Kurdistan to East, West and North Africa & the UK
5. Take advantage of on-site introductions to ensure active business development
6. Celebrate excellence in your industry at the annual awards of excellence
7. Continuous investor showcases: Find out where the best opportunities for investment lie
8. No power point: Enjoy a free and frank flow of ideas through interactive panel discussions
9. Chatham House Rules: No press. Closed doors. Everything is off the record
While over 100 speakers among them Eng Duale have confirmed, the one anticipated most is from Tony Hayward who is expected to address the assembly on his companies various interests worldwide of import being his Genel Energy Oil Exploration and Extraction PSA with Somaliland.
The former BP executive Tony Hayward is currently Chairman of Glencore Xstrata and CEO of Genel Energy an Anglo –Turkish firm that is spearheading Oil exploration in Somaliland where it is the lead firm in a field that has a number of other international firms among them DNO Norway, RAK Gas LLC , ANSAN WIKFI, and Sterling Energy
While the forthcoming is a prestigious event Somaliland has had occasion to participate in similar forums notably the 2014 Mining Indaba in South Africa and Africa Down Under conference in Perth Australia
Though many believe that the non recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign country is harmful as it has denied it access to international loans Eng Hussein Abdi Duale who has managed the country’s emerging oil sector since assuming office in mid 2010 is of divergent thought, terming non recognition as a blessing in disguise since his country is blessed by dodging the AID curse
About The Oil Council
The Oil Council is the most senior and influential network of oil and gas executives in the world. We connect oil and gas executives, and in turn their companies, to each other and to their partners in the finance and investment worlds.
The OC that focus on the business dynamics of oil and gas; the pioneers, partnerships, capital, transactions, joint ventures and capex that determine the future direction of the industry and shape tomorrow’s energy landscape has paid a glowing tribute to the Somaliland Energy Minister describing him in these terms,
Quote- As the Minister of Energy & Minerals of the Republic of Somaliland, Mr. Hussein Abdi Duale is charged with directing H.E. President Ahmed Silanyo’s agenda to develop Somaliland’s energy and mineral resources in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way for the benefit of its people. These include the development of hydrocarbons, hard minerals, renewable energy and efficient power generation.
Hussein A. Duale was appointed by President Silanyo in August 2010 as the Minister of Mining, Energy & Water Resources. In mid-2013, the President decreed the establishment of a new water resources Ministry and the existing Ministry’s name was changed to the Ministry of Energy & Minerals (MOEM).
When water resource management was part of the Ministry’s responsibility during the first 3 ½ years of service, the Ministry under the leadership of Mr. Duale made significant achievements in the water sector that included, the passing of a National Water Act, the completion of a national hydrogeological survey, the drilling of 50 plus boreholes for both urban and rural communities and the successful delivery of the largest water infrastructure project in Somaliland funded by the EU to primarily upgrade the nation’s capital (Hargeisa) municipal water system.
During the first four years of his tenure, the Minister made major strides in marketing Somaliland’s petroleum potential. Mr. Duale kick started the petroleum exploration activity in the country by attracting international oil companies to operate in Somaliland despite the lack of recognition of the state. Through the Minister’s efforts in raising the profile of Somaliland as an oil exploration destination in attending multiple international oil & gas conventions, several international oil companies currently operate or have significant interest in the country’s hydrocarbon sector.
The Minister made an equal effort in advancing the development of the mining sector. As a result of his tireless promotion and marketing of the nation’s mineral resources, there are now several foreign mining companies that have acquired prospecting and exploration licenses and are actively exploring for minerals to prove mineral reserves that can be commercially mined.
In order to ensure that Somaliland budding extractive industry is governed by a strong regulatory framework, The Minister initiated the development of a new petroleum policy and legislation that include Upstream Petroleum Policy, Upstream Petroleum Act and Petroleum Revenue Act as well as a new Mining Code.
Mr. Duale is a US educated and trained Petroleum Engineer who devoted a good deal of his time in advancing Somaliland’s goal to one day develop and exploit its natural resources. Although he spent his professional career in the Middle East and the US, he nevertheless acted as an advisor to previous Somaliland governments on natural resources development issues. Prior to his appointment to lead this Ministry, Mr. Duale had a successful career with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) managing multi-million dollar contracts including compressed natural gas plants and fueling systems.
Prior to his career with Metro, Mr. Duale worked as Petroleum Engineer with Chevron USA in California where he oversaw oil exploration and production operations at both onshore and offshore fields. Before his immigration to America, Mr. Duale began his career in the oil business as a sales representative with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company for Distribution (ADNOC-FOD).
Mr. Duale is a member of several civic and professional organizations, including the Society of Petroleum Engineers. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, USA, and a Certificate in Management from the Office of Executive Education from the University of Southern California-Unquote