According to East African Community (EAC) Secretary-General Peter Mathuki, Somalia has taken an important step toward becoming the bloc’s eighth member.
On Wednesday, the EAC chief told a news conference in Arusha, Tanzania, that Mogadishu had reached the negotiating stage and voiced optimism that Somalia will be admitted to the bloc this year.
A series of discussions will be place in Nairobi, with Somalia’s accession being one of the key priorities.
“The EAC carried out a verification mission to assess Somalia’s readiness to join the bloc, and the report was discussed and shared with all partner states.” Negotiations for admission will commence on the 22nd of this month and will go until the 5th of September,” Dr Mathuki added.
Somalia sought to join the Community in 2012, and on January 25, 2023, the EAC initiated a verification mission to verify its preparedness.
On June 6, 2023, the EAC Heads of State endorsed the verification team’s report in Bujumbura, paving the door for the Council of Ministers and the EAC Secretariat to begin discussions.
Dr. Abdusalam Omer, Somalia’s former Foreign Affairs Minister and current Presidential Special Envoy to the East African Community, told the EastAfrican that the talks will cover all of the EAC’s integration pillars, comparing and contrasting them with Somalia’s regulations and laws.
“This will also include establishing a timeline for Somalia to implement and harmonize its laws with those of the region,” Dr. Abdusalam explained.
“The way forward for Africa and East Africa is regional integration and market opening, as this will help lower product costs.”