ANKARA – Turkey is accelerating its offshore energy exploration in Somalia to secure its domestic power needs and reduce a heavy reliance on foreign imports, the government announced Thursday.
Ankara has identified the oil and gas reserves off the Horn of Africa as a strategic solution to its chronic energy deficit. With a population exceeding 86 million, Turkey currently imports nearly a third of its energy, a dependency that has strained the national economy amid volatile global prices.
Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar described the Somali operations as a “new chapter” for Turkey’s energy security. He emphasized that the primary objective is to insulate the country from the price shocks and supply disruptions caused by ongoing conflicts in key energy-producing regions, specifically citing the fallout from the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
“Our main goal is to break the cycle of dependency on foreign oil and gas,” Bayraktar said.
Under a bilateral agreement signed with the Federal Government of Somalia, Turkey is set to receive 90 percent of the revenue generated from the oil extracted within Somali territorial waters.
The deal cements a deepening strategic partnership between the two nations. For Ankara, the venture provides a vital lifeline of stable energy supplies; for Mogadishu, it represents a major step toward developing its untapped natural resources with the help of a key regional ally.
The move comes as Turkey seeks to diversify its energy portfolio to stabilize inflation and ensure long-term industrial growth.
