Norwegian may become oil minister in Somalia

Ruling party candidate Muse Bihi Abdi speaks to the media after casting his vote in the presidential election in Hargeisa, in the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland, in Somalia. The ruling party candidate in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Somaliland has been declared the winner of the presidential election but the opposition claims irregularities in the vote. (AP Photo/Barkhad Kaariye, File)

Norwegian-speaking Ibrahim Mohammed Hassan, 66, may become oil minister in  Somalia, according to Nettavisen newspaper.

 

Hassan came to Norway in the 1970s and is an oil engineer, who’s worked in  London and Stavanger. He has a background in  Saga Petroleum and Asante.

Now, he is considered one of two candidates to become Somalia’s new oil minister.

Somalia, which is not internationally recognised as an independent state, held its presidential elections in November. Next week, Musa Bihi Abdi will become the new president. Somalia has, potentially, huge oil and gas reserves. This may mean good news for Norwegian investors.

‘Of course, I think that there may be additional sympathy for Norwegian investors, and there will be language and communication benefits,’ said Stig Jarle Hansen, Associate Professor in International Relations at the University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Ås.

NTB Scanpix / Norway Today