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EAC delegates adopt integration roadmap for Somalia, recommend approval

EAC delegates adopted the report and recommended to EAC Council of Ministers to adopt the roadmap for the integration of Somalia into EAC. (X/EAC)

By Mwangi Maina | Thursday, June 20, 2024

This roadmap aligns Somalia's legal framework with established regional standards and ensures robust participation in EAC programs and activities.

After over a week in Nairobi, East African Community (EAC) delegates adopted a report on Somalia’s integration on Thursday, recommending that the EAC Council of Ministers approve the roadmap for Somalia’s integration into the EAC.

The roadmap, according to the regional bloc, outlines activities Somalia must undertake to align with other Partner States and joint activities between Somalia and EAC Organs and Institutions to facilitate its integration.

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This roadmap aligns Somalia's legal framework with established regional standards and ensures robust participation in EAC programs and activities.

During a dinner meeting hosted by BBS Mall on Thursday evening in honour of the visiting delegation, Somalia's Ambassador to Kenya, Jabril Ibrahim, acknowledged the challenges of integration, particularly legal aspects, but expressed Mogadishu's readiness to proceed with the process and join the community in fostering growth.

Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan, welcomed the delegation to Eastleigh, where BBS Mall is located, noting, “The visit is a great opportunity for us, and I couldn’t miss the chance to come and shake your hands and welcome you.”

“I am a die-hard pan-Africanist. I am a die-hard East-Africanist. The EAC is a significant building block towards African unity,” Yusuf stated.

“For us in Kenya, we have just been joined by a brother and a sister that we love dearly.”

Dr. Abdusalam H. Omer, Somalia’s Presidential Special Envoy to the EAC, was also present during the BBS dinner and mall tour.

“I am glad to say we have succeeded and tonight we present East Africa,” he said.

The delegation was hosted at Ajmal Restaurant for a scrumptious dinner before touring the mall.

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📍 Nairobi, Kenya
🍃 The meeting to develop the roadmap for the integration of Somalia into the EAC has successfully come to a close today.

EAC delegates adopted the report & recommend to EAC Council of Ministers to adopt the roadmap for the integration of Somalia into EAC. pic.twitter.com/NxCfDdYQCo
— East African Community (@jumuiya) June 20, 2024

Somalia, with the longest national coastline of over 3,000km in Africa, links the continent to the Arabian Peninsula, offering significant potential to increase intra-regional trade and improve the lives of East Africans.

Somalia is poised to elect nine Members of Parliament to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and appoint a Judge to the First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), further solidifying its commitment to the regional integration process.

The EAC was established in 2000 and is headquartered in Arusha. Its mission is to foster economic growth by, among other strategies, eliminating customs duties among member states. It established a common market in 2010.

Somalia's primary economic activities are in the livestock and agriculture sectors, which have proven to be highly vulnerable to climate change.

Livestock remains Somalia's main export, followed by bananas, fish, hides and skin, and charcoal, but the Horn of Africa country is believed to have potential offshore resources like oil and gas.