Somalia Pushes Ahead with EAC Integration at Arusha Talks

GOOBJOOG NEWS | ARUSHA: Somalia has stepped up efforts to cement its place in the East African Community (EAC), with a high-level delegation taking part in key meetings at the bloc’s headquarters in Arusha on Friday.

The team, led by State Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for EAC Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar, joined officials from all eight member states for the 35th Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers Responsible for EAC Affairs and Planning, alongside the 58th Extraordinary Meeting of the EAC Council of Ministers.

Talks, which began on Aug. 31 and conclude on Sept. 6, cover a wide range of issues including the draft 7th EAC Development Strategy, a review of the EAC Vision 2050, and ways to cut non-tariff barriers to trade.

Omar also held bilateral talks with the EAC Secretary General, focusing on Somalia’s integration roadmap, recruitment of Somali nationals into the EAC Secretariat, and aligning Somali passports with regional standards to ease travel across the bloc.

Somalia officially became the EAC’s eighth member in March 2024, opening new opportunities for trade and cooperation. With its long coastline and strategic location, the Horn of Africa nation is seen as an important addition to the regional bloc.

The Arusha meetings mark another step in Somalia’s efforts to harmonise its policies and institutions with those of the EAC and to deepen its role in regional cooperation.