Horn of
Africa Last Updated: February 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Djibouti | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Djibouti has no oil or natural gas production. |
The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in
1977. In November 1991, the mainly Afar-supported Front for the
Restoration of Unity and Democracy (FRUD) began fighting the
Issa-dominated government. Sporadic attacks continued in 1997 and 2000. On
May 12, 2001, President Ismail Omar Guelleh presided over the signing of
the final peace accord officially ending the decade-long civil war. France
maintains one of its largest military bases outside France in Djibouti
with some 2,800 troops as well as warships, aircraft and armored vehicles.
In addition to French troops, Djibouti has become a launching point for
the US war on terrorism in the Middle East. United States troops have been
stationed and passing through the country since late-2002. In exchange for
use of territory, the United States has offered monetary assistance to
help Djibouti improve its counterterrorism operations.
Djibouti's main economic asset is its strategic location. The city of
Djibouti, capital and home to nearly two-thirds of the country's
population, is a major transshipment port and bunkering facility. Good
transportation infrastructure with the country and links to neighboring
African states earns Djibouti much-needed transit taxes and harbor fees.
Trade through Djibouti increased significantly during the
Ethiopian-Eritrean war when Djibouti became the only significant port for
landlocked Ethiopia.
Djibouti has significantly expanded the capacity of its ports by
building a new oil jetty to accommodate oil products, LPG, edible oils,
and bitumen on vessels up to 120,000 deadweight tons (DWT). The new system
has the capacity to handle 3 million cubic feet of petroleum products.
Having completed the oil jetty, the next phase of the project adds a $300
million, 6,000 foot long, mega container port. The new additions to
Djibouti's ports, supported by Emirates National Oil and Dubai Ports
International, will enable the port of Djibouti to meet growing cargo
requirements over the next 20 years.
Djibouti's real gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow 4.2
percent in 2006, following estimated growth of 3.9 percent in 2005, and
3.0 percent in 2004. Growth has been fueled by the transportation and
communication sectors as well as the trade and tourism sectors, which
together make up more than 40 percent of GDP. An unemployment rate of 40
to 50 percent continues to be a major problem for Djibouti's economy. In
December 2002, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the third
disbursement of funds ($6 million) from a Poverty Reduction and Growth
Facility (PRGF) signed with Djibouti in 1999. Djibouti is in an IMF
Staff-Monitored Program and agreed to a Technical Memorandum of
Understanding on economic policies in August 2005.
OilAlthough there is currently no upstream (exploration or production)
oil activity in Djibouti, the government has tried to generate interest in
offshore oil exploration without success. The downstream oil sector,
however, is an important aspect of Djibouti's economy, given the role the
capital city plays as a significant regional bunkering and refueling
facility. Three companies--ExxonMobil, Shell and Total-- handle refueling
at Djibouti's port. The companies, along with ChevronTexaco, also
distribute and market petroleum products in the country. Storage capacity
at the port facility is 1.26 million barrels (200,000 cubic meters). The
Dubai Ports Authority (DPA) was awarded a 20-year contract in June 2000 to
manage the port. DPA hopes to increase Djibouti's handling capacity from
125,000 metric tons to 300,000 metric tons per year and to make it the
leading transshipment point on the African continent.
ElectricityDjibouti currently has installed electricity generating capacity of
85 megawatts (MW), all of which is thermal (oil-fired). In January 2001,
U.S.-based Geothermal Development Associates (GDA) announced that it had
completed a feasibility study on the development of a 30-MW geothermal
power plant in Djibouti. The study, which commenced in August 2000,
established the commercial viability of the proposed generating facility.
The $115 million plant, to be located in the Lake Assal region west of the
capital, will be constructed on the build own operate (BOO) financing
scheme. The Global Environmental Facility (GEF), a joint initiative of the
World Bank and the United Nations (UN), had approved a $280,000 financing
package to pay for contract negotiations required for the project. To
date, however, these funds have not been released. At the same time,
however, Electricite de Djibouti, the national electric company, has been
removing aging diesel-fired generating units. To continue to provide power
to rural residents, the government, with the help of a grant from a number
of Arab financial institutions, is installing solar and wind capacity. The
primary goal of the project is to replace old diesel powered rural water
pumps with new ones powered by renewable resources, but excess energy will
be used for electrification.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eritrea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eritrea is adjacent to the Bab el-Maneb, an important world oil supply chockpoint. |
In 1952, a UN resolution federating the former Italian colony of
Eritrea with Ethiopia went into effect. In 1962, Emperor Haile Selassie
unilaterally dissolved the Eritrean parliament and annexed the country.
The Eritrean fight for independence continued even after Haile Selassie
was ousted in a coup in 1974. A 30-year struggle for independence ended in
1991, with Eritrean rebels defeating the governmental forces led by
Mengistu Haile Miriam. On April 23-25, 1993, Eritreans voted
overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a UN-monitored free and
fair referendum. The Eritrean authorities declared Eritrea an independent
state on April 27, 1993. The National Assembly was elected in national,
freely contested election and then chose former liberation movement leader
Isaias Afwerki as President.
When Eritrea and Ethiopia separated amicably in 1993, several border
issues remained unresolved. Fighting broke out between the two countries
in May 1998 and continued until June 2000 when both sides accepted an
Organization of African Unity (OAU) peace proposal. The formal treaty
ending the war was signed on December 12, 2000 and an independent entity,
the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) was established to
determine the new border. The EEBC released its report on April 13, 2002,
but Ethiopia is contesting some of the commission's decisions.
Growth of the Eritrean economy was hampered by the war. Eritrea's
real GDP growth in the two years prior to the conflict averaged 7.4
percent. Real GDP growth fell to 4.0 percent in 1998, 0.0 percent in 1999
and -13.1 percent in 2000. With the cessation of hostilities, real GDP
growth of 9.2 percent was observed in 2001, and growth of 0.7 percent in
2002. Growth was 3.0 percent in 2003, 1.8 percent in 2004, and 0.6 percent
in 2005. Growth of 1.0 percent is the forecast for 2006. Inflation is an
ongoing problem; it was 15.1 percent in 2005. Multilateral and bilateral
donors have pledged nearly $132 million towards the demobilization of
200,000 Eritrean soldiers and the social and economic recovery of the
country. Donor development funding is seen as crucial in the improvement
of the country's economy.
OilHydrocarbon exploration, primarily offshore in the Red Sea, began in
the 1960's when Eritrea was still federated with Ethiopia. In 1995,
Eritrea signed a production sharing contract (PSC) with U.S.-based
Anadarko Petroleum (Anadarko) for the offshore Zula Block. Anadarko signed
a second PSC for the offshore Edd Block, located south of the Zula Block,
in September 1997. Anadarko announced, in December 1997, that it had
reached an agreement with ENI/Agip (Agip) to swap interests in exploration
acreage. Anadarko received a 25 percent interest in a Tunisian block
operated by Agip, and Agip received a 30 percent share in the 6.7-million
acre Zula Block and 30 percent interest in the Edd Block. Burlington
Resources, a U.S.-based independent, later joined the consortium by
acquiring a 20 percent interest in both acreages. Anadarko's first two
exploration wells, both drilled on the Zula Block, were unsuccessful. In
January 1999, a third dry well, Edd-1 on the Edd Block, was drilled.
Citing the disappointing exploration results, Anadarko and its partners
ceased exploration activities and relinquished their rights to the
offshore blocks.
Another attempt also did not meet with success. In May 2001,
U.S.-firm CMS Energy signed an exploration agreement for a 14,000-square
kilometer block in northeastern Eritrea, but the company did not find oil.
CMS Energy sold its exploration interests to Perenco S.A. of France in
late 2002.
The Bab
el-Mandeb is a narrow waterway situated between Eritrea, Djibouti
and Yemen that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian
Sea. In 2000, it was estimated that around 3.2-3.3 million barrels per day
(bbl/d) of oil flowed through the Bab el-Mandeb. Disruptions or closure of
the Bab el-Mandeb could keep tankers from the Persian Gulf from reaching
the Suez
Canal/Sumed Pipeline complex, diverting
them around the southern tip of Africa (the Cape of Good Hope). This would
add greatly to transit time and cost, and effectively tie up spare tanker
capacity. The Bab el-Mandeb could be bypassed (for northbound oil traffic)
by utilizing the East-West oil pipeline, which traverses Saudi
Arabia and has a capacity of about 4.8 million bbl/d. However,
southbound oil traffic would still be blocked. In addition, closure of the
Bab el-Mandeb would effectively block non-oil shipping from using the Suez
Canal, except for limited trade within the Red Sea region.
In December 1995 and again in August 1996, Eritrean and Yemeni forces
clashed over control of the Hanish Islands, located just north of the Bab
el-Mandeb. In October 1996, the two countries signed an agreement over the
islands. The two sides agreed to put their case before an international
court of arbitration (Permanent
Court of Arbitration-PCA). The court then issued two rulings;
one on who has sovereignty over the disputed area, and one on the
demarcation of the two sides' maritime boundary. In October 1998, the PCA
ruled that the Hanish Islands are subject to the territorial sovereignty
of Yemen. In December of 1999, the PCA issued its ruling on the maritime
boundary.
Downstream and RefiningEritrea has crude refining capacity of 18,000 bbl/d, but the refinery
located in the Red Sea port of Assab has been shut down since 1997 due to
the high operating and maintenance costs. Ethiopia and Eritrea, joint
operators of the facility, decided to close the Assab refinery in August
1997 and import refined petroleum products to meet domestic needs.
Eritrea's petroleum consumption was estimated at 6,000 bbl/d in 2001.
Marketing and distribution of petroleum products is performed by
ExxonMobil, Shell and Total. In June 2000, Shell purchased the downstream
operations of Agip in several African countries including Eritrea and
Ethiopia. The Eritrean assets included service stations, two petroleum
product depots and an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) filling station.
In August 2000, Sudan's National Petroleum Company announced plans to
lay pipelines to supply Eritrea and Ethiopia with petroleum products from
its Khartoum refinery. Eritrea has not yet benefited from Sudanese oil and
relations between the two countries soured in April 2003 when Sudan
accused Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebels in the eastern part of
Sudan. Although Eritrea denies the charges, future trade relationships are
unlikely under the current climate.
ElectricityEritrea has approximately 60 MW of diesel-fired generating capacity.
The Eritrean Electricity Authority (EEA) handles generation, transmission
and distribution of electricity. In 1997, South Korean firms Daewoo and
Hanjung signed an agreement to build a heavy oil-fired plant in at
Hirgigo, just outside of Massawa. The plant, nearly completed, was damaged
in a bombing raid by Ethiopia in 2000. In 2001, Eritrea signed loan
agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for the
facility's repair. The 88 MW facility came online in March 2003, but
effectively using the new capacity will require improvements to Eritrea's
dated grid system.
The World Bank has funded the Eritrea Power Distribution and Rural
Electrification Project at a cost of $57.2 million. This project was
approved in 2004 and it will run through 2009. It includes (1)
rehabilitation and expansion of the Asmara city distribution system (2)
rural electrification and (3) power sector reform to increase efficiency
and attract private invesment. The project supports making EEA an
autonomous and financially self-sustaining company. Five substations have
been constructed to transform the 132,000 volt power from Hirgigo to
15,000 volts. Distribution centers have acquired higher capacity
transformers that operate at 66,000 volts instead of 50,000 volts. EEA has
signed a contract with a Spanish company to update the power supply of the
city of Asmara.
Electricity is only available in Eritrea's larger cities and towns,
leaving about 80 percent of the Eritrean population without access to
electricity. Some smaller villages have community diesel generators which
can provide small amounts of electricity to households. Photovoltaic (PV)
electricity generation is being used in special applications throughout
the country. Twenty-six rural health centers are each supplied with
2-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic power systems for refrigeration,
lighting, operating theaters, fans, and laboratory equipment.
Additionally, the majority of the 140 rural clinics are equipped with
solar powered vaccine refrigerators. Approximately 3 percent (about 60
villages) of Eritrea's villages have been supplied with PV systems (0.8 to
1.2kW) to power water pumps to supply drinking water. Each system serves a
minimum of 300 households. Over 70 rural schools (out of 700) have been
provided with PV systems for lighting and power.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ethiopia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It is believed that Ethiopia could contain significant oil and natural gas reserves, due to its geological similarity to its oil-producing neighbors. |
Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa. Unique among
African countries, Ethiopia maintained its freedom from colonial rule,
except during the Italian occupation of 1936-41. In 1974, a military
junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile Selassie, who had ruled since 1930,
and established a socialist state. The Derg was toppled by a coalition of
rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front
(EPRDF), in 1991. A constitution was adopted in 1994 and Ethiopia's first
multiparty elections were held in 1995. A two-year border war with Eritrea
ended when a peace treaty was signed in December 2000. Disagreement on the
location of the border between the two countries is ongoing, despite the
final ruling of a commission charged with identifying the border.
Ethiopia's economy is primarily agrarian, with the agricultural
sector accounting for 45 percent of GDP and 80 percent of the workforce.
Coffee, Ethiopia's primary export crop, accounted for 58 percent of total
exports in 1999, and has averaged two-thirds of all export earnings over
the last 20 years. Other important agricultural exports include qat
(khat), a mild stimulant from the leaves of the Catha Edulis shrub,
pulses, oilseeds, live animals and hides. Ethiopia's real GDP growth was
5.4 percent in 2000 and increased to 7.7 percent in 2001. Growth in 2002
slowed to 1.6 percent as a severe drought decimated agricultural
production. Growth was –3.9 percent in 2003, as Ethiopia’s economy shrank.
It rebounded with 11.6 percent growth in 2004 and 5.4 percent in 2005. The
projected growth for 2006 is 5.2 percent.
Although continued donor support is seen as the crucial element in
Ethiopia's economic reform, both the IMF and World Bank suspended new
lending to Ethiopia during the border war with Eritrea. The suspension was
lifted after the signing of the peace accord in December 2000. The World
Bank approved a $400 million loan to finance emergency recovery, military
demobilization and reintegration projects. In July 2001, the IMF approved
a $112 million PGRF to support Ethiopia's economic program. In November
2001, the IMF and World Bank announced that Ethiopia was eligible for a
$1.9 billion debt relief package under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
(HIPC) Initiative, becoming the 24th country to qualify for debt relief
under the HIPC's enhanced framework. The savings in debt service resulting
from the HIPC are substantial, amounting to about $96 million per year on
average until 2021. The resources made available by debt relief provided
under the HIPC have been allocated to key anti-poverty programs.
Poverty-targeted expenditures in 2001-02 and 2002-03 increased by $259
million, substantially more than HIPC relief. In 2005, Ethiopia received a
$4.9 million grant from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) to provide
solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and micro hydro capacity.
Oil and Natural GasEthiopia's current proven hydrocarbon reserves are minimal, but the
potential to increase reserves to commercial viability is seen as
promising. The country's geology is similar to that of its oil-producing
neighbors to the east (on the Arabian peninsula) and the west (Sudan). In
April 2001, the Ministry of Mines and Energy reported that hydrocarbon
seeps had been discovered in several regions. The government plans to
conduct feasibility studies to establish the extent and viability of the
deposits.
Hydrocarbon exploration in Ethiopia's Ogaden Basin began over 80
years ago (Standard Oil in 1920). The Ethiopian government formed the
Calub Gas Share Company (CGSC) to develop the fields. In 1994, the World
Bank approved a $74 million loan to develop the Ogaden Basin fields. The
Ethiopian Privatization Agency (EPA) put the CGSC up for privatization in
1998, but the EPA, citing weak bids, withdrew the tender. In December
1999, Houston-based Sicor announced that it had signed a $1.4 billion
joint-venture deal to develop the Calub natural gas project. Under the
terms of the agreement, Gasoil Ethiopia Project (GEP), the joint-venture
firm, will acquire 95 percent of the CGSC under the Ethiopian government's
privatization law. Currently, 5 percent of the CGSC is held by local
private investors. The Ethiopian government will hold a 20 percent
interest in GEP with Sicor holding the remaining share. GEP plans to
construct a 375-mile, 24-inch pipeline to transmit natural gas to the town
of Awash, which is approximately 75 miles east of the capital Addis Ababa.
At Awash, plans call for construction of a cryogenic liquids plant and two
gas-to-liquids process systems with capacity to process 200 million cubic
feet per day (Mmcf/d) of natural gas. The end products would be synthetic
fuels and petrochemical feedstocks plus steam to generate electricity and
help produce 20,000 bbl/d of potable water. A planned refinery would
produce products including diesel, gasoline, kerosene and jet fuels. The
gas-to-liquids system would also produce some 500 tons of ammonia per day
as feedstock for a urea plant to be constructed. Construction of the
pipeline had originally been planned for 2002; however, gas development in
Ogaden has not yet begun.
In June 2003, the Ethiopian government signed an oil exploration deal
with Petronas for 5,800 square mile tract in Gambela, in the far western
part of the country. The region is closely related to the Sudan oil
fields. Petronas has committed to investing in regional infrastructure,
employing local staff, improving health services, and developing the
skills of the ministry of Mines. Petronas is also interested in natural
gas exploration in Ogaden, but no official plans have yet been made.
DownstreamEthiopia's petroleum consumption was estimated at 32,000 bbl/d in
2005. With the closure of the Assab refinery in 1997, Ethiopia is totally
reliant on imports to meet its petroleum requirements. Some petroleum
imports are received at the port of Djibouti, and shipped via rail and
tanker truck to Ethiopia. With the recent development of oil in Sudan,
however, Ethiopia has begun importing oil which, under COMESA, is not
subject to tariffs. Oil imports from Sudan began in January 2003
transported by tanker trucks along a new road between the two countries.
Since the trade began, however, oil shipments, which are expected to meet
85 percent of Ethiopia's gasoline requirements, have halted twice.
Nevertheless, the two countries have agreed to upgrade the road along this
important transit corridor to increase commerce.
Marketing and distribution of petroleum products is performed by
ExxonMobil, Shell and Total. In June 2000, Shell purchased the downstream
operations of Agip in several African countries including Ethiopia. The
Ethiopian assets included over 100 service stations, two depots and four
LPG filling plants.
ElectricityEthiopia has approximately 690 MW of installed generating capacity.
The vast majority of Ethiopia's existing capacity (85 percent) is
hydroelectric. The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO), the
state-owned firm responsible for electricity generation, plans to
construct several new generating facilities to provide electricity to
Ethiopia. Currently, less than half of Ethiopia's towns have access to
electricity though EEPCO electrified more than eighty towns between 2001
and 2003. Since most of Ethiopia's electricity is generated from
hydroelectric dams, the country's power system is vulnerable to extended
droughts. Ethiopia recently endured more than six months of power cuts due
to low water levels in dams around the country. Initially blackouts were
scheduled once a week, but as the drought wore on, customers lost power
for 15 hours two days a week, a situation that strained the resources of
many businesses in urban centers.
EEPCO is rapidly expanding their generating capacity. The 73-MW Tis
Abay 2 facility, located on the Blue Nile (Abay) came online in 2001.
U.S.-based Harza Engineering (now MWH Global) is overseeing the
construction of an additional 34-MW unit at the Finchaa hydroelectric
facility in western Ethiopia. The 180-MW Gilgel Gibe hydroelectric
facility began commercial operations in 2004. Gilgel Gibe, located on the
Omo River in southwestern Ethiopia, increased the country's power capacity
to 690 MW. EEPCO has begun construction of Ethiopia's largest
hydroelectric generating facility at Tekeze. The dam will have a height of
513 feet, making it the tallest dam in Africa. The 300-MW hydroelectric
facility will be located in northern Ethiopia and will cost about $350
million.
The Gojeb power plant is Ethiopia's first Independent Power Project
(IPP). This 150-MW hydroelectric plant was built in western Ethiopia and
started commercial operation in 2004. The project was developed by
Mohammed International Development Research Organization & Companies
(Midroc). Midroc sells the output from Gojeb to EEPCO. Agreements on
additional IPP projects were signed in June 2001. The largest facility
will be the 162-MW Genale hydroelectric facility located on the border
between the Oromia Region and the Southern Peoples Nationalities Regional
State. The plants will be built under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)
system. ENERCO will operate the facilities for 30 years, which would be
renewable for another 30 years.
In April 2001, Ethiopia signed agreements to export electricity to
neighboring Djibouti. Negotiations are ongoing and exports are expected to
begin in 2004, following the interconnection of the countries' electric
grids.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Somalia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It is believed that Ethiopia could contain significant oil and natural gas reserves, due to its geological similarity to its oil-producing neighbors. |
The Somali Republic gained independence on July 1, 1960. Somalia was
formed by the union of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland. A
socialist state was established following a coup led by Major General
Muhammad Siad Barre. Rebel forces ousted the Barre regime in 1991, but
turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy ensued. The Somali National
Movement (SNM) gained control of the north, while in the capital of
Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia the United Somali Congress achieved
control.
In 1992, responding to the political chaos and humanitarian disaster
in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched peacekeeping
operations to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered
to the Somali people. By March 1993, the potential for mass starvation in
Somalia had been overcome, but the security situation remained fragile. On
October 3, 1993 U.S. troops received significant causalities (19 dead over
80 others wounded) in a battle with Somali gunmen. When the United States
(in 1994) and the UN withdrew (in 1995) their forces from Somalia, after
suffering significant casualties, order still had not been restored.
The United States has no formal relations with Somalia. Somalia has
not had a functioning national government since 1991 and presently has no
constitution in force. In February 2004, a Transitional Federal Charter
was established which could serve as the basis for a future constitution.
In August 2004, the Somali Transitional Federal Authority (TFA) was
established as part of the Somalia National Reconciliation Conference. The
Somalia National Reconciliation Conference concluded after it elected a
Transitional President in October 2004.
The current attempt to form a national government follows another
structure which was tried in 2000. The Transitional National Government
(TNG) was created in October 2000 with the three-year mandate of creating
a permanent national Somali government. Although they declared their
independence, the TNG did not recognize Somaliland and Puntland as
independent republics and was unable to reunite the country. Somaliland
refused to participate in peace talks with TNG, saying that while it would
welcome peace in former Italian Somalia, Somaliland is an independent
country awaiting international recognition.
Somalia's economy, one of the world's least developed, has been
further hampered by the country's ongoing internal strife. Reliable
economic data is scarce, and the current Somali structure cannot manage
the national economy. Livestock production (cattle, goats & sheep) is
the mainstay and the largest foreign exchange earner of the Somali
economy. An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in southern Saudi Arabia
and Yemen (the first reported outside Africa) in 2000 led six Gulf States
- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates -
to ban livestock imports from the Horn of Africa at that time. Another
significant portion of the Somali economy, foreign remittances, have
fallen significantly following the US government's closure of the
Al-Barakat transfer company, which has been accused of transferring funds
on behalf of Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaida terrorist network.
Remittances from abroad are estimated to be $200-$500 million annually.
Somalia is unable to receive IMF, and other multilateral aid due to
the lack of institutions or financial infrastructure in place. In 2005,
Somalia had an estimated GDP growth of 5.7 percent. A GDP increase of 2.6
percent is the forecast for 2006.
Oil and Natural GasSomalia has no proven oil reserves, and only 200 billion cubic feet
of proven natural gas reserves. Somalia currently has no hydrocarbon
production. Oil seeps were first identified by Italian and British
geologists during the colonial era. Exploration activities were focused in
northern Somalia, and several foreign firms, including Agip, Amoco,
Chevron, Conoco and Phillips, held concessions in the area. The firms all
declared force majeure following the collapse of the central government.
Exploration activity remains hindered by the internal security
situation, and the multiple sovereignty issues. In February 2001 Total
signed an exploration agreement with the TNG. The twelve-month agreement
granted Total the rights to explore in the Indian Ocean off southern
Somalia. Hassan Farah, TNG's Minister for Water and Mineral Resources,
stated that the government would provide security during the exploration
activities. Several factional leaders denounced the agreement, and stated
that the TNG did not have the authority to sanction the agreement, nor the
power to guarantee the safety and security of the exploration operations.
In May 2001, Somaliland signed an agreement with U.K.-registered
Rovagold and two Chinese firms, CPEC and CPC, for the right to explore for
oil. Dubai-based Zarara Energy also signed an exploration agreement with
Somaliland. The Somaliland government has said it will honor, until they
expire, the existing contracts foreign companies signed with the Barre
regime that are in their territory. None of the firms have resumed
operations in Somaliland.
Somalia's petroleum consumption was an estimated 6,000 bbl/d in 2005.
The organization officially responsible for all petroleum product
distribution and retailing is the cooperative Iskash. The state-owned
Iraqsoma Refinery Corporation had operated a 10,000-bbl/d refinery outside
of Mogadishu, but it has been inoperative since 1991. Total is involved in
the downstream sector in Somaliland. It rehabilitated and manages the
operations of the oil terminal in Berbera, Somaliland's primary port.
Total also supplies fuel to airports located in Berbera and Somaliland's
capital of Hargeisa.
ElectricitySomalia currently has installed electricity generating capacity of 80
megawatts (MW), all of which is diesel-fired. Ente Nazionale Energia
Elettrica (ENEE) is the entity responsible for generation, transmission
and distribution of electricity in Somalia. Electrical infrastructure has
been damaged and destroyed, and the ongoing strife has hindered the
development of new electric resources. A planned hydroelectric facility on
the Juba River has been delayed due to the continued fighting. Studies
have indicated that the Horn of Africa, especially Somalia, is a prime
location for harnessing wind for electricity generation. Plans for wind
generation have been proposed, but were derailed following the ouster of
the Barre regime.
In October 2001, WorldWater Corp., a U.S.-based water management and
solar engineering company, signed agreements with the TNG to become the
master consultant and contractor for all water and energy programs in
Somalia. Under the three-year agreement WorldWater would develop, manage
and oversee contracting for the country's water resources and incorporate
renewable energy projects such as solar power into Somalia's
infrastructure. This includes locating and managing groundwater sources in
municipal and rural areas, delivering water for drinking and for
irrigation using the WorldWater's solar pumping systems and generating
independent electricity with its solar power systems.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Profiles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sources: Central Intelligence Agency
World Factbook 2005; Global Insight
PPP=Purchasing Power Parity.
Source: Energy
Information Administration International Energy Annual 2003
Note: percentages may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.
Source: Energy Information
Administration International Energy Annual 2003, Oil and Gas Journal
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Links | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General Information African Union Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Nile Basin Initiative International Geothermal Association - Djibouti IMF Djibouti Information ArabNet - Djibouti Djibouti Government (In French) Republic of Djibouti University of Pennsylvania Djibouti Page Stanford University: Djibouti Lonely Planet Guide: Djibouti Amnesty International: Djibouti International Geothermal Association - Eritrea IMF Eritrea Information U.S. AID's Eritrea Page University of Pennsylvania: Eritrea Page Stanford University: Eritrea Lonely Planet Guide: Eritrea Amnesty International: Eritrea International Geothermal Association - Ethiopia IMF Ethiopia Information Ethio-American Trade & Investment Council Ethiopian Investment Authority Ethiopian Privatization Agency University of Pennsylvania: Ethiopia Page Stanford University: Ethiopia Lonely Planet Guide: Ethiopia Ethio.Com Amnesty International: Ethiopia Information on Somalia from Arab.Net University of Pennsylvania: Somalia Page Stanford University: Somalia Lonely Planet Guide: Somalia Amnesty International: Somalia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sources | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Africa Research Bulletin Agence France Press AP Worldstream BBC Business Wire CIA World Factbook 2005 Economist Intelligence Unit Energy Day Financial Times International Monetary Fund Middle East Economic Digest Middle East Executive Reports Oil and Gas Journal Petroleum Economist Petroleum Intelligence Weekly PR Newswire U.S. Energy Information Administration U.S. Geological Survey World Markets Online | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||