Charleston (Somalia Today) — Somalia said on Friday it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the US state of West Virginia on cooperation in critical minerals, as Mogadishu stepped up efforts to attract American investment and technical support into a sector it sees as central to future growth.
The agreement covers the exploration, extraction, processing, and value addition of critical minerals.
Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Dahir Shire Mohamed signed for Somalia in Charleston, while West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner signed for the US side.
Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama led the delegation and was received by West Virginia Senate President and Lieutenant Governor Randy Smith.
West Virginia has not yet issued a standalone public statement on the agreement, but the reported signing comes as Somalia tries to place mining alongside oil and gas at the centre of a broader push for foreign investment.
Formalising the mining sector
For Mogadishu, the deal fits into a wider effort to place the mining sector on a clearer legal and regulatory footing.
The agreement comes weeks after Somalia and the United States held their first formal trade and investment talks in Mogadishu, where both sides discussed energy, oil and gas, and critical minerals and agreed to establish joint technical committees.
Somali officials presented those talks as part of a broader attempt to attract foreign capital into strategic sectors, as the government seeks to show the country is open for business despite continuing security and political risks.
The move also follows steps by Somali authorities to tighten oversight of the sector. In August 2025, the cabinet approved a mining bill aimed at creating a clearer legal framework for investment.
Officials have also moved against what they described as illegal mining activity by Somali citizens and foreign operators.
In January, the federal government and four regional state administrations agreed to cooperate on the joint management of petroleum and mineral resources, an issue that remains politically sensitive in a federal system where control over natural wealth has long been contested.
The choice of West Virginia is notable. The state has a long mining history and has also developed research capacity linked to rare earths and critical materials.
That gives the reported pact some technical logic beyond symbolism, particularly as Somali officials say they want future cooperation to go beyond simply extracting minerals.
Beyond raw extraction
Somalia has framed the agreement as a way to support technical cooperation, skills transfer, and domestic processing infrastructure, signalling that it wants future partnerships to retain more value inside the country rather than rely only on raw exports.
That ambition reflects a wider global trend. Competition for critical minerals has intensified as major powers seek secure supply chains for materials used in advanced manufacturing, defence systems, and clean energy technologies.
The agreement also comes against a broader geopolitical backdrop in the Horn of Africa, where competition over ports, military access, and natural resources has sharpened.
In late February, officials in Somaliland said the breakaway region was going to offer the United States access to minerals and military facilities in return for recognition.
Somalia has separately pursued broader economic and strategic cooperation with Washington, underlining how resource diplomacy is increasingly overlapping with security competition in the region.
Whether the understanding with West Virginia quickly leads to concrete projects, financing, or survey work remains unclear.
But the move underlines Somalia’s effort to position minerals, alongside hydrocarbons, as a pillar of its emerging economic diplomacy with the United States, while signalling that it wants a greater share of the value chain to remain at home.
