Somalia Joins East African Community

Somalia has formally become the eighth partner state of the East African Community (EAC), following the deposition of the ratification document with EAC Secretary-General Dr. Peter Mathuki at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.

A high-level Somali delegation led by Somalia's Minister of Trade and Industry, Jabril Abdurashid Haji Abdi, arrived in Arusha to complete the accession process initiated in December 2023 when Somali President Sheikh Hassan Mahmoud met with the EAC Summit Chairperson, as reported by the Somali News Agency (SONNA).

South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit, the current Chair of the EAC, signed Somalia's accession treaty in Entebbe, Uganda.

Mathuki welcomed Somalia as the newest member of the EAC, a regional intergovernmental organization aimed at deepening cooperation among its partner states in political, economic, and social fields.

The EAC Secretary-General stated that Somalia's membership would enhance the EAC's vision of a prosperous, competitive, secure, stable, and politically united region.

He commended Somalia for fulfilling the requirements of the EAC Treaty and the accession protocol and urged Somalia to ratify, implement, and actively participate in the EAC's protocols, laws, regulations, organs, and institutions.

Somalia's Minister of Trade and Industry expressed gratitude to the EAC for granting Mogadishu full membership, describing it as a historic achievement for his country.

He affirmed Somalia's commitment to contributing to the organization's objectives and benefiting from its achievements in various sectors, such as trade, infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, peace, and security.

He also mentioned that Somalia would share its expertise and best practices with the EAC, especially in areas like counter-terrorism, maritime security, and humanitarian affairs.

The East African Community, established in 1999 following the dissolution of the original EAC in 1977, encompasses a population of about 186 million people with a combined GDP of around $193 billion.

Other partner states in the EAC include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.