By Goth Mohamed Goth
The Minister of Energy and Minerals, Eng. Ahmed Jama Barre, in a press conference held at the ministry headquarters, outlined the ministry’s achievements during the first 100 days in his new portfolio and shared future plans for the ministry.
Eng. Ahmed Jama Barre began by providing a detailed briefing on last week’s working trip to Nairobi, Kenya, where they met with World Bank officials and other stakeholders to discuss upgrading the country’s power grid to make it more affordable.
He added, “During our stay in Nairobi, we had the opportunity to revitalize the Somaliland Electricity Sector Recovery Project. The main objective of the Power Master Plan for the Government of Somaliland (GoSL) is to produce a roadmap to guide the introduction and establishment of affordable, safe, reliable, and environmentally friendly electricity supply systems in the country.”
The World Bank team and the Somaliland Ministry of Energy and Minerals (MoEM) Project technical leader, along with his team, jointly reviewed past achievements and discussed how to address existing challenges.
The Minister of Energy and Minerals further stated, “Both sides agreed to expedite the resolution of all outstanding issues. The project consists of four subprojects, with two of the most important being the connection of the Hargeisa power grid to Ethiopia’s Electric Power (EEP) through regional power supply. The plan includes establishing a new electricity infrastructure line to enable power exchange between the two countries.”
“The other subproject, which will commence within two weeks, is funded by a $20 million grant from the World Bank through the Government of Somaliland. It aims to reduce and stabilize electricity supply in the port city of Berbera, making electricity more affordable. This is the first-of-its-kind project in the country, benefiting individuals and businesses while supporting the expanding port infrastructure. More importantly, its positive impact will extend beyond the city borders,” the Energy Minister said.
Eng. Ahmed Jama Barre added, “The Government of Somaliland acknowledges that the lack of reliable energy laws hinders potential local and foreign investors from investing in our energy and mining sectors. However, we plan to change this in the near future. We are currently working with the House of Representatives to pass the necessary energy laws to attract potential investors.”
Finally, the Energy Minister stated, “The Ministry of Energy and Minerals is also reviewing all mining sector licenses issued under the previous government. We are in the process of setting up a Mining Cadastre to provide a platform for all stakeholders in the mining industry to engage directly with the Ministry. with easy accessibility.”