Israel-Somaliland Friendship Society
    Sector deep-dive

    Mining

    The geology is documented. The industry is unbuilt. That gap is the opportunity.

    Latest

    180M+

    tons of gypsum near Berbera

    >95%

    gypsum purity in the Daban Basin

    Billions

    of tons of estimated coal resources

    5B+

    barrels of prospective oil (SL10B/13)

    2025

    Horn's largest gold plant opens at Erigavo

    Sources listed at the bottom of this page.

    All sectors
    The evidence

    What's Under the Ground Is Mapped

    Government geological surveys document gypsum, coal, gemstones, gold, iron ore, tin, and industrial minerals across the country — with named deposits from the Daban Basin to Erigavo. What almost none of it has seen is modern exploration or industrial extraction.

    Licensing runs through one ministry, and Berbera's deep-water port means extraction and export share a single corridor.

    Geological map of Somaliland showing rock formations and coal/lignite deposits
    Somaliland's geology, with coal and lignite deposits marked — Gal Hamad, Daban, Guveneh, Erigavo, and more.
    Where investors fit

    Six Ways In

    From quarry-to-port plays you can model today, to exploration bets with nation-changing upside.

    Gypsum at industrial scale

    180+ million tons at over 95% purity in the Daban Basin near Berbera: a cement and plasterboard export play with the port minutes away.

    Coal for industry

    Resources estimated in the billions of tons (Hed-Hed valley, Guveneh hills, Daban Basin), awaiting modern surveying and responsible development.

    Gemstones

    Emerald, ruby, sapphire, aquamarine and more, mined artisanally today; the sorting, certification, and export value chain is still unbuilt.

    Gold

    Discovered in the Erigavo district in 2019 and licensed since 2020; in August 2025 the Ministry inaugurated the largest gold-mining plant in the Horn of Africa at Cirshiida. Modern processing and export channels are just beginning.

    Oil & gas exploration

    Genel Energy has held onshore licenses since 2012; its SL10B/13 block (with Taiwan-backed OPIC) is estimated at more than 5 billion barrels of prospective resources. Early-stage and higher-risk — but nation-changing if proven.

    Construction minerals

    Marble, decorative stone, and cement materials that feed directly into Somaliland's own building boom.

    One door for licensing: prospecting, exploration, and mining licenses are all issued by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals — and much of the country has never been surveyed with modern methods, so early license-holders pick from an open map.

    Exploring Mining? Start With an Introduction.

    The Society connects investors and mining operators with the ministries and local partners who hold the map — before the rest of the world reads it.

    Partner With Us

    Sources for figures on this page