THE MINERAL INDUSTRIES OF SOMALIA— Report al Dicembre 2001 - Somalia

Somalia was a producer of small quantities of gypsum, salt, and sepiolite (meerschaum). Recent discoveries and artisanal mining of gemstones included amethyst, aquamarine, emerald, garnet, opal, ruby, and sapphire. The country also had deposits of feldspar, iron ore, kaolin, limestone, natural gas, quartz, silica sand, tantalum, tin, and uranium. The minerals industry made only a small contribution to Somalia’s exports and to the economy in general. Officially reported mineral and trade data have been unavailable owing to lack of a central Government from 1991 to 2000. Somaliland and Puntland (two regions in northern Somalia) have declared independence from Somalia. The new central Government created in 2000 controlled only a small portion of Mogadishu and faced serious challenges from regional warlords (Washington Post, 2001). The civil war has had considerable adverse consequences for the economy, which included the minerals sector. The war forced the closure of Somalia’s cement plant and oil refinery and halted exploration for natural gas and other resources.

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS YEARBOOK—2001 12.4

Emeralds were produced at Alihiley and Simodi in western Somaliland. Aquamarine was know to occur near Darburuq, Gebiley, and Lafrug; garnet, near Alihiley, Boroma, and Darburuq; and sapphire, near Gebiley. Mining of Somaliland’s gemstones has been limited by a lack of modern equipment, civil strife, and damage to the infrastructure (Henricus, 2001b). The European Community-funded non-governmental organization Progressive Interventions was working with the Government of Somaliland to exploit local gemstone resources. Issues under consideration included investment in exploration in exploration and mining equipment; training of local miners; organizing the miners and dealers into a mining and trade association; marketing the gemstones; and adding value through cutting and polishing (Henricus, 2001a). Somalia imported all its cement, most of which was believed to be sourced from Kenya, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The International Cement Review (2001b) estimated that Somalia’s cement consumption remained unchanged at 100,000 t in 2001. The Berbera cement plant had a capacity of 300,000 t/yr but needed substantial upgrade work to resume production. In 2000, Somalia’s petroleum consumption was estimated to be nearly 1.5 Mbbl. Since the closure of Somalia’s refinery in 1991, which was run by the state-owned Iraqsoma Refinery Corporation, all the country’s demand for petroleum products has been met through imports. In 2001, Total, Fina, Elf signed a 1-year agreement with the Somali Government to explore for oil in the southern region of Lower Shabelle and the Juba Valley (Iran Daily, 2001; U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2002§).

In May 2001, the Government of Somaliland signed an agreement with Rovagold Ltd. of the United Kingdom, Continental Petroleum Engineering Company Ltd. of China, and China Petrochemical Corporation to explore for oil. Zarara Energy Ltd. of South Africa also signed an exploration agreement with the Government. Chinese firms have been reported to be involved in oil exploration in Puntland (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2002§). Somalia’s installed electricity generating capacity amounted to 70 MW, all of which was diesel fired. The country’s exploitable hydroelectric energy potential could be 50 MW. Ente Nazionale Energia Elettrica - Italia was responsible for the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. In October 2001, the Government signed agreements with WorldWater Corp. of the United States to develop such renewable energy sources as solar power. Prior to the civil war, the Government had planned to install wind energy systems in rural areas and turbines to connect to the electricity grid in Mogadishu. The Government of Puntland planned to privatize the electricity sector (World Resources Institute and others, 1996, p. 288; U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2002§). Somalia’s transportation network comprised about 22,000 km of roads, of which 2,600 km were paved. Oil pipelines were 15 km. The principal ports and harbors were located at Bender Cassim (Boosaaso), Berbera, Chisimayu (Kismaayo), Merca, and Mogadishu. The outlook for Somalia’s mineral industry is for little change in the short run. The Governments of Puntland and Somaliland have not gained international recognition, and the central Government in Mogadishu faces serious obstacles to unifying the country, much less repairing the damage from the civil war. Other problems include weak infrastructure and a domestic market that is limited by severe poverty. In the long run, an end to the civil war; investment in education, health, and infrastructure; favorable world market conditions; improvements in mining technology; and other conditions amenable to private foreign investment could lead to greater exploitation of Somalia’s mineral resources. Fonte http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2000/et00.pdf

I nuovi padroni della telefonia somala: al sito seguente tutti I dettagli dei contratti e della tecnica di cablaggio usati per connettere la Somalia in internet. http://www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act_112.html

(14/Marzo/2002 - Cairo) Un consorzio cino/britannico effettuerà esplorazioni petrolifere nelle acque marine dell' autodichiarata Repubblica del Somaliland, secondo l’annuncio fatto dal Ministro delle Risorse Idriche e Minerarie Mohamad Abdi Mahamud. Il consorzio formato da Sinopec della Cina e dalla Rovagold del Regno Unito, ha avuto le autorizzazioni di esplorazione quasi due anni fa, ai blocchi marini M10 e M10A e ad altretanti blocchi terrestri denominati 35 e 36, per un totale complessivo di 7 milioni di acri. La Joint Venture deve perforare quattro pozzi secondo il relativo contratto di licenza. Secondo Mohamad, sono stati già effettuati studi di fattibilità e selezionato i luoghi delle prime ricerche nel blocco 35 terrestre. Due precedenti pozzi esplorativi erano già stati perforati nella regione del Somaliland, uno dalla Società Conoco a Las Anod e uno dalla Chevron a Eyl sul litorale occidentale. La Total, la Fina e l’Elf a loro volta hanno individuato dei siti marittimi a largo di Berbera, ma non sono iniziate le geoispezioni. Secondo un rapporto radiofonico di KornAfrik, un gruppo cinese è nel golfo di Aden di fronte a Berbera per acquistare diritti su due blocchi marittimi. Il Ministro in una conferenza stampa ha dichiarato che il suo governo accoglie favorevolmente tutte le compagnie petrolifere che vogliono esplorare e ha aggiunto a titolo d'avviso per le più importanti compagnie petrolifere che hanno già ottenuto le concessioni nella regione, che se rinviassero le ispezioni geologiche, le autorizzazioni di cui sono titolari saranno cedute ed assegnate a nuovi operatori. La Repubblica del Somaliland non è riconosciuta da nessun governo ed eccezione dell'Etiopia. Al-Awsat A-Sharq, giornale saudita, ha intervistato un ex membro del governo somalo da cui il Somaliland si è separato, che cita l’impossibilità delle compagnie, nonostante gli accordi firmati con molte compagnie petrolifere, ad iniziare le perforazioni e la produzione terrestre in quanto il precario stato di non riconoscimento della Repubblica del Somaliland rende impossibile i prospetti funzionali delle ispezioni e delle eventuali produzioni petrolifere.

Fonte: http://www.oilandgasinternational.com/departments/world_industry_news/mar02_somaliland.html