By: Guleid Abdi Mahir
Somalilandsun- The director of oil department at the ministry energy and mineral resources Mr. Ahmed Iidaan Adam-adde has shed light about the oil exploration exercises which his ministry is undertaking. This was done through a public awareness memo intended for Somaliland’s public. These are his words “On 19th November 2016 the ministry of energy and mineral resources while undertaking her legal role to represent the interest of Somaliland public it reached an agreement with a Chinese Oil Company called BGP Inc. to start oil exploration in the country.
This come hot in the heels of the ministry endeavor in the past three years to revive the oil exploration agenda that had been dormant since 2013. Ever after the signing of this deal with BGP Inc. preparation behind the scenes have been ongoing. This company explores oil on land and has been active in 44 countries whereas 19 are in the African continent. BGP Inc. is to import exploration equipment from five countries around the world. On the other side of the coin the ministry of energy and mineral resources is playing her role to make sure all goes well as it is mandated to oversee this oil exploration exercise become a success.
Of late the ministry has signed many deals which have been interlocked with an awareness program to sensitize the population of the importance of this exercise to national building. This will implant the knowledge of oil exploration and its benefit to our economic wellbeing to the community. The public awareness is divided into two. Part one is through the medium of media and broadcast journalism while part two will take place directly at the village level where community awareness in the oil exploration locations is based.
We have visited these oil exploration locations which are situated in Saraar, Togdheer, Dadmaded, Marodijeh and Hawd regions of the country. There is also a community awareness training that have been held in Ainabo and Burao and others which are in the pipeline to be held in Odweine and Hargeisa.
The technical part of the project has already started we have begun the construction of a camp site whereby the oil exploration exercise will be managed. On 4th January 2017 we started the layman work, like oil exploration vehicles and equipment and the logistics pertaining where the exploration equipment will pass to reach the oil sites. These vehicles consist of seismic vehicles which are used in sending seismic waves into the ground to ascertain if oil is available this God willing start in mid-February.
After the completion of ground and aerial exploration the results of which will be used to compile a reports, to counter an earlier exploration finding, all these is expected to be completed by this month of February after which the oil exploration exercise will start earnestly. The ministry of Interior Security is a major stakeholders in the exercise because they will provide security at the camp site and oil exploration locations. In this respect the ministry of energy and mineral resources urges the Somaliland public to support other endeavor of finding oil in the country and should not at any time politicize this issue. We do not want to hear tribal propaganda taking root, so as the oil exploration exercise should go on without delay”.
