Federal government: ministries and agencies
Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Somalia: what it does
Somalia's federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry registers companies, issues trade licences, sets trade and manufacturing policy and, through the Somali Quality Assurance Agency, checks product standards. Gamal Mohamed Hassan became minister in December 2025. Businesses can now register and get licences online through its eBusiness portal.
What it does
The ministry "has overall responsibility for the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of Somalia's internal and external trade & manufacturing policy" (eBusiness Somalia). Its main services:
- Company registration: through the Somali Business Registration and Licensing System (SBRS), anyone can reserve a business name, incorporate a private or public limited company, register a foreign company and file the yearly return, online (same source).
- Trade licences: it issues the trade licence a business needs to operate, and its portal lets anyone check a business's registration or licence number (same source).
- Standards: the Somali Quality Assurance Agency, under the ministry, sets and checks product quality standards. It has its own budget line (Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted).
- Trade policy: it leads Somalia's trade talks and trade promotion, and spoke at the 2026 national farm investment summit with the agriculture minister (NAFIS 2026 communiqué).
Who leads it
Gamal Mohamed Hassan (also written Jamaal Mohamed Hassan) was appointed by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on 13 December 2025, replacing Mahamud Geesood, and was sworn in by the House of the People (SONNA, December 2025; AllAfrica, December 2025). He was earlier Minister of Planning, Investment and Economic Development (Goobjoog). See Ministry of Planning.
Earlier ministers, from the list on Wikipedia: Abdirahman Abdi Osman (until 2015), Abdirashid Mohamed Ahmed (from 2015), Khadra Ahmed Dualeh (2017 to 2018), Mohamed Abdi Hayir (from 2018) and Jibril Abdirashid Nur (from 2022).
The money
From the federal budget (Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted), where it is listed as "Ministry of Industry and Commerce":
| Line | 2025 actual (US$) | 2026 budget (US$) | 2027 proposed (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ministry | 2,454,973 | 2,523,834 | 2,583,774 |
| Somali Quality Assurance Agency | 1,314,880 | 1,463,216 | 1,493,516 |
On the income side, local company registrations brought in US$427,900 in 2025, and the budget expects US$1.41 million in 2027. Business and profession licences brought in US$922,075 in 2025 (same source). The African Development Bank's project to grow the Somali private sector and investment is budgeted at US$1.2 million for 2027 (same source).
How to use it
- Register a business: go to ebusiness.gov.so. The site lists 13 services, from name reservation to annual returns. Its office is on Mohamud Harbi Road, behind the National Theatre, Mogadishu (same source).
- Check a business: enter its business identification number (UBI) or licence number on the same site.
- See also Starting a business and Investing in Somalia.
How the work is shared
Each member state has its own ministry of commerce, which also licenses businesses. Puntland and Somaliland run their own company registers.
Its legal basis
The Company Law and the trade licensing rules it applies, and its mandate from the Council of Ministers under the 2012 Provisional Constitution, as amended in 2024 and 2026.
Sources
- eBusiness Somalia · ebusiness.gov.so
- Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted · mof.gov.so
- NAFIS 2026 communiqué · moa.gov.so
- SONNA, December 2025 · sonna.so
- AllAfrica, December 2025 · allafrica.com
- Goobjoog · en.goobjoog.com
- Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Every federal government body in Somalia and its budget, 2025 to 2027A directory of every body in Somalia's federal budget: ministries, agencies, courts, commissions and security forces, with 2025 spending, 2026 budget and 2027 proposed budget in US dollars, and a CSV download.
- The Federal Government of Somalia: how it is organisedHow Somalia's federal government is built: its history since 2012, its branches, ministries, agencies and independent offices, how it relates to the member states, its staff and budget, and where to find each part.
- Somalia's federal government: the President, the Prime Minister and the Council of MinistersHow Somalia's federal executive works: the President's powers, the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers, the list of ministries, and presidents since 1960.
- Ministry of Education of Somalia (Wasaaradda Waxbarashada): what it doesWhat Somalia's federal education ministry does: curriculum, national exams, teachers, school counts and higher education, how it shares the work with the member states, and the separate ministries in Puntland and Somaliland.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Somalia (Wasaaradda Arrimaha Dibadda): embassies and diplomacyWhat Somalia's foreign ministry does, who leads it, where Somalia has embassies, the main issues in 2024 to 2026, and what Somalis abroad can get from an embassy.
- Ministry of Health of Somalia (Wasaaradda Caafimaadka): what it doesWhat Somalia's federal health ministry does: policy, vaccines, medicines, coordination of aid; who leads it; its budget 2025 to 2027; what it reports doing in 2026; and how the work is shared with Puntland, Somaliland and the member states.