MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia seeks to expand energy partnership with Türkiye into uranium and critical minerals as offshore drilling advances, minister Dahir Shire Mohamed said.
Minister Mohamed said Somalia has vast underground resources and seeks deeper cooperation with Türkiye on mining critical minerals and uranium development plans.
Discussions in Istanbul with Turkish energy minister focused on updating a 2016 mining MoU covering exploration mapping training investment cooperation framework review.
Somali officials want to review the agreement and establish a technical committee to assess available geological and mining data resources base quickly.
IAEA and OECD Nuclear Energy Agency estimate Somalia holds about 10,200 tons of uranium, including 7,600 tons potentially recoverable resources assessment report.
Surveys indicate lithium, copper, titanium, gold, and rare earth deposits across northern and central Somalia, though exploration remains limited overall potential high.
Türkiye and Somalia have entered new hydrocarbons phase after seismic surveys and launch of deep-water offshore drilling operations officials confirmed progress continues.
Oruc Reis seismic vessel surveys identified promising offshore energy structures, according to Somali officials and Turkish energy cooperation reports final analysis ongoing.
Drilling at Curad-1 well using Cagri Bey vessel is expected to last six to nine months depending on conditions positive results expected.
