# Somali Petroleum Authority: the oil and gas regulator

> What the Somali Petroleum Authority does, who has led it, its budget 2025 to 2027, and its plans for a bidding round in 2026.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/institutions/somali-petroleum-authority/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## What it does

The Somali Petroleum Authority is the regulator for oil and gas exploration and production. Petroleum Economist reported in 2020 that it was the country's first upstream regulator, created under the petroleum law, and that it would oversee licensing of exploration blocks ([Petroleum Economist, 2020](https://pemedianetwork.com/petroleum-economist/articles/upstream/2020/inaugural-somali-regulator-plots-confident-course)). Policy is set by the [Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources](/en/institutions/ministry-of-petroleum-and-minerals/); the authority handles licensing and regulation.

## Who leads it

| Period | Chairman | Source |
|---|---|---|
| From 2020 | Ibrahim Ali Hussein, first chairman and chief executive | [Petroleum Economist, 2020](https://pemedianetwork.com/petroleum-economist/articles/upstream/2020/inaugural-somali-regulator-plots-confident-course) |
| 2026 | Abdulqadir Aden | [Dawan Africa, 22 August 2026](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-to-launch-open-bidding-for-oil-blocks-as-exploration-enters-final-stage) |

## The money

The figures are from the federal Appropriation Act for 2027 as submitted to parliament, where the body is sub-head 030202 under the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources ([Ministry of Finance, Appropriation Act 2027](https://mof.gov.so/storage/documents/2026/11/xihvtskp/Appropriation%20Act%20for%202027%20Submitted%20to%20Parlement.pdf)):

| Year | US$ |
|---|---|
| 2025 (actual) | 1,071,460 |
| 2026 (budget) | 1,081,820 |
| 2027 (proposed) | 1,045,380 |

All federal bodies' budgets are compared on [federal bodies and their budgets](/en/institutions/federal-bodies-and-budgets/).

## What it reports doing in 2026

On 21 August 2026 chairman Abdulqadir Aden said Somalia is preparing an open, competitive bidding round for companies seeking oil blocks. "Companies seeking to operate in Somalia's petroleum sector will enter an open competitive process," he said, at a Canada-supported training on petroleum investment for staff of the finance and petroleum ministries and the authority ([Dawan Africa, 22 August 2026](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-to-launch-open-bidding-for-oil-blocks-as-exploration-enters-final-stage)).

At the same event the petroleum ministry's Director General, [Mohamed Hashi](/en/people/mohamed-abdi-hashi/) Arabey, said Somalia has close to 300 petroleum blocks offshore and onshore to be marketed to investors. The authority's chairman said he hoped for results on Somalia's oil prospects in the coming months ([Dawan Africa, 22 August 2026](https://www.dawan.africa/news/somalia-to-launch-open-bidding-for-oil-blocks-as-exploration-enters-final-stage)).

## Other records

The Petroleum Law approved in February 2020 created the authority to issue licences and review production sharing agreements. Somalia's first offshore licensing round, for seven blocks, opened on 4 August 2020 and closed on 12 March 2021 ([S&P Global, 4 August 2020](https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/crude-oil/080420-somalia-establishes-oil-regulator-as-bids-open-for-first-ever-licensing-round); [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_industry_of_Somalia)). In December 2022 the federal government declared oil operations licensed by [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) illegal, saying only federal authorities can grant oil permits. The full history is on [this site's oil and gas page](/en/economy/oil-and-gas/).

## How the work is shared

The authority works with the [Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources](/en/institutions/ministry-of-petroleum-and-minerals/) and the [Ministry of Finance](/en/institutions/ministry-of-finance/). One summary of the 2020 law says it gives 55% of oil revenue to the federal government and 45% to the member states ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_industry_of_Somalia)).

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