By Goth Mohamed Goth
A new modern Ministry of Energy and Minerals premises was commissioned on 6th September 2016 by H.E. President Ahmed Mohamed Silanyo that is distinct from other newly constructed ministries in Somaliland in many ways. It has imposing columns, beautiful white color, a shiny wide lobby, fully equipped swank offices , a high end new minerals analysis laboratory equipment, a sparkling museum showcasing all minerals found in the country and well-tended yard with beautiful landscaping .
After considering the location of the Ministry being across from the Presidential palace, we decided the moment has come for the Ministry of Energy and Minerals to build a new headquarters that is worthy of its address, said Minister Hussein Abdi Dualeh, the Minister of Energy & Minerals. The building of this landmark has come about after a long term planning and a lot of hard work, said the Minister.
The Ministry was housed in colonial era buildings that were caving in and was becoming a hazard for employees. The Minister explains that due to budgetary constraints not to mention that the government have already funded the rebuilding of many other ministries, the Ministry decided to look elsewhere for funding and submitted applications to the oil companies that have interest in Somaliland to support rebuilding the Ministry. After a lot of convincing, the oil companies obliged and provided the funds needed to start the rebuilding project. The oil companies that contributed to the rebuilding of the Ministry were: DNO, Rak Gas, Petrogas E&P, Sterling Energy and Jacka Resources. We thank them very much for their lasting contribution.
Under the recommendation of Minister Hussein Abdi Dualeh, the New Ministry of Energy & Minerals premises along with the Presidential palace and the Ministry of Information will be powered by state of the art solar systems that were donated to Somaliland by the government of the UAE. The installation of these systems have already began and when complete will provide enough power for both the Ministry of Energy & Minerals and that of Information to have sufficient electric power to run on and to stay off-grid.
This building will be a testament and a shining example of some of the achievements of this Ministry and a lasting legacy for this government’s successes that is led by President Silanyo.
