Inaugural Somali regulator plots confident course

Newly appointed Somali Petroleum Authority chairman and CEO Ibrahim Ali Hussein speaks to Petroleum Economist about his hopes for the Somali oil and gas industry

Ibrahim Ali Hussein was appointed the first chairman and CEO and of the Somali Petroleum Authority (SPA), at the end of July, at a critical point in the development of the country’s nascent hydrocarbons industry. The establishment of the SPA is the last major milestone in establishing the set of institutions necessary to create a promising industry in the frontier East African economy. The minister of petroleum led the creation of the SPA, according to the terms of the Petroleum Law passed in February this year. Its establishment happened shortly before the first licensing round was launched on 4 August and it will be a key institution for exploitation of hydrocarbons in the country. What ar