Turkey To Start Oil Drilling in Somalia Next Year

By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter

Turkey, 15 December 2025 - Turkey’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, has announced plans to begin oil drilling operations in Somalia next year as he presented his ministry’s 2026 budget to the Turkish parliament.

The minister said that seismic surveys aimed at identifying oil resources have been completed, describing the development as a new step in strengthening energy cooperation between Somalia and Turkey

“We have completed seismic surveys in Somalia’s maritime areas, and we are aiming to carry out the first drilling operation in 2026,” Bayraktar said.

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In his briefing to parliament, the minister also revealed that in 2025 Turkey completed 182 onshore oil drilling operations and 17 offshore drillings, while 48 onshore and four offshore drilling activities are currently ongoing. These efforts have led to the discovery of 62 million barrels of new reserves, he said.

The move places Somalia among the countries given special priority in Turkey’s energy policy, at a time when the Federal Government of Somalia is seeking to attract foreign investment and expand domestic energy infrastructure.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre have previously stated that oil production in the country is expected to begin in 2026, aligning with Turkey’s newly announced drilling plans.

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