# Ministry of Livestock, Forestry and Range of Somalia: what it does

> What Somalia's federal livestock ministry does: animal health, export certificates, forests and rangeland; livestock exports by year; who leads it; its budget 2025 to 2027; and its partners.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/institutions/ministry-of-livestock-forestry-and-range/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## What it does

The ministry is the federal body for livestock, forests and rangeland. Its work, as reported:

- **Animal health:** it runs veterinary services and the checks that export animals must pass. Its director of animal health, Qaasim Abdi Moallim, spoke for the ministry on exports in 2025 ([Ecofin Agency, 28 October 2025](https://www.ecofinagency.com/news/2810-49903-somalia-targets-record-1-billion-in-livestock-exports-for-2025)). A veterinary laboratory funded with the African Development Bank opened to support exports ([Eastleigh Voice](https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/african%20development%20bank/70317/somalia-launches-new-veterinary-laboratory-to-boost-livestock-exports-and-economic-growth)).
- **Markets:** it seeks access to new markets. In 2026 Somalia sought wider access to Gulf markets and held talks with Libya on live animal exports ([Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-eyes-more-gulf-market-access-for-livestock-exports); [AllAfrica, November 2026](https://allafrica.com/stories/202611090225.html)).
- **Forests and rangeland:** it makes policy and rules for forests and grazing land, and works on restoring degraded rangeland ([SONNA, 10 February 2025](https://sonna.so/en/somalia-fao-discuss-livestock-forestry-and-climate-adaptation-strategies)).

## Who leads it

**Hassan Hussein Mohamed** was minister in 2025, when he met FAO's regional head for Africa, Abebe Haile-Gabriel, and FAO's Somalia representative, Etienne Peterschmitt ([SONNA, 10 February 2025](https://sonna.so/en/somalia-fao-discuss-livestock-forestry-and-climate-adaptation-strategies)). The ministry's official Feysal Ali spoke for it at a COP29 side event in November 2024 ([IISD Earth Negotiations Bulletin](https://enb.iisd.org/media/feysal-ali-ministry-livestock-forestry-and-range-somalia-fast-fao-cop29-side-event-19nov)).

## Livestock exports in numbers

From Central Bank data reported by Ecofin Agency ([Ecofin Agency, 28 October 2025](https://www.ecofinagency.com/news/2810-49903-somalia-targets-record-1-billion-in-livestock-exports-for-2025)):

- **2018:** US$311 million.
- **2024:** about US$970 million.
- **2018 to 2024:** 31.5 million animals exported in total.
- **Herd:** about 56 million head, by official estimates.
- **Share:** livestock is about 9 percent of GDP and more than 60 percent of export earnings; sheep and goats make up about 90 percent of shipments.

The ministry projected more than US$1 billion for 2025. The ministry's official said Somalia "capitalized on the decline of [Sudan](/en/diaspora/sudan/) and Australia's market positions" in the Gulf (same source). In 2026 the National Bureau of Statistics said livestock exports weakened in 2025 because of severe drought ([Dawan Africa](https://www.dawan.africa/news/drought-aid-cuts-slows-somalia-gdp-growth-to-31percent)). See [Trade, exports and imports](/en/economy/trade-exports-and-imports/).

## The money

From the federal budget ([Appropriation Act for 2027, as submitted](https://mof.gov.so/storage/documents/2026/11/xihvtskp/Appropriation%20Act%20for%202027%20Submitted%20to%20Parlement.pdf)):

| Line | 2025 actual (US$) | 2026 budget (US$) | 2027 proposed (US$) |
|---|---:|---:|---:|
| Ministry of Livestock and Forestry | 5,065,094 | 21,390,995 | 18,047,353 |

The rise from 2026 comes mainly from the World Bank's project for pastoral economies in the Horn of Africa (De-risking, Inclusion and Value Enhancement of Pastoral Economies), budgeted at US$13.0 million in 2026 and US$18.7 million in 2027. On the income side, export duty on livestock products raised US$51,099 in 2025 (same source).

## How the work is shared

[Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) and [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/) run their own livestock ministries and export checks, and each member state has its own livestock ministry. See [Ports](/en/economy/ports/).

## Its legal basis

The ministry's mandate from the Council of Ministers under the 2012 Provisional Constitution, as amended in 2024 and 2026.

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