Fedral Government of Somalia

Somali Petroleum Law

Ministry of Petroleum and mineral resource

Law no. 19,

Date 08 - 02 - 2020

Article (2)

Terminology

In the case of this law, the following words have the meaning of each one written before:

21. Petroleum operations: refers activities aimed at:

1. Exploration of Petroleum

2. Explore, develop, produce, sell or export Petroleum; and

3. Build, erect, or operate buildings, infrastructure and export of Petroleum, or to rehabilitate or dismantle any of these infrastructure or facilities.

Article (3)

Purpose(s)

This law shall have as its purpose:

1. To confirm the sovereign rights of Somalia to explore, develop utilize and manage its petroleum resource, located onshore and offshore

2. To allow efforts to be undertaken to determine the extent of the petroleum resource which my exit in Somalia by creating a regulatory, contractual and financial regime that allows reconnaissance and exploration of petroleum, and development, production and marketing of any petroleum which is discovered;

3. If petroleum resource are discovered in Somalia, to provide maximum benefit to Somalia and its people from the development and production of petroleum;

4. To ensure the production, conservation and preservation of the environment in the conduct of petroleum operations;

5. To encourage and support foreign investment which aims to attain the other purposes of this law;

6. To establish the Somalia petroleum Authority as the competent regulatory Authority to regulate petroleum operations, applying regulatory principles of equality, openness, Accountability, transparency and non-discrimination;

7. To establish the Somali National Oil Company as an entity controlled by the Government for the participation in petroleum operations in Somalia;

8. To apply with international imitative to ensure transparency of extractive industries, by enhancing public financial management and accountability, recognizing that management of the natural resource wealth for the benefit for the Somali citizen in the domain of the Government, to exercised in the interests of national development; and

9. To ensure fair treatment of specified legal persons holding rights pursuant to petroleum grants made by the Somali Democratic republic on or before December 30, 1990.

Article (4)

Ownership of the petroleum

The petroleum is a national asset which belongs to all the people of Somalia and shall be vested in the federal Republic of Somalia and the Federal member States, in trust for the people of Somalia.

Article (5)

Proprietor of Natural resources

The Federal Republic of Somalia in the proprietor of its natural resources both onshore offshore.

Please read full document in the pdf bellow