Somalia to Co-Chair Horn of Africa Development Talks in Washington

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Bihi Iman Egeh, and the World Bank’s Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ndiamé Diop, will co-chair the 26th Ministerial Meeting of the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI) on October 15 in Washington, D.C., held on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings.

The meeting will focus on accelerating development in the Horn’s border regions, emphasizing cross-border infrastructure, trade facilitation, and social and economic resilience for frontier communities.

Launched as a country-led platform, the Horn of Africa Initiative aims to deepen regional cooperation through coordinated investments and policy reforms. The Initiative has attracted significant development partner support, with a project pipeline valued at nearly $9 billion across 125 approved projects, including transport corridors, digital integration, and borderland programmes.

Delegates are expected to review the Roadmap for Accelerating Development in the Borderlands (2024–27) and push for faster implementation of regional priorities — from climate-resilient livelihoods and digital connectivity to social cohesion projects.

Somalia’s leadership role in the Initiative, assumed during recent ministerial sessions, has strengthened Mogadishu’s position in shaping policies that directly impact Somali border communities and cross-border trade. The Washington meeting will be closely watched for new financing commitments and concrete timetables that could unlock faster investment in the region.