Somalia Officially Becomes 8th Member Of The East African Community

Somalia officially becomes 8th member of the East African Community

Somalia has formally joined the East African Community (EAC) as its eighth member after it presented her instrument of ratification of the treaty of accession to the EAC Secretary-General, finalizing the admission process.

The presentation was done by Jibril Abdirashid Haji, Somalia's Minister of Commerce and Industry during a brief ceremony held at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, on March 4th.

In a statement following the ceremony, Peter Mathuki, the head of the EAC Secretariat highlighted the opportunities for Somalia to contribute to the EAC's cooperative efforts in trade, investment, industrial development, and the free movement of people, labour, and services.

“Today’s occasion of Somalia depositing the instruments of the ratification with the Secretary-General will enable Somalia to kick off the process of joining EAC’s areas of cooperation. Somalia now has the green light to contribute to the development of a roadmap for her integration into the EAC," Dr Mathuki was quoted by The East African.

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of eight Partner States, including Burundi, Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda.

Somalia's accession to the EAC comes after years of efforts to strengthen ties with the regional bloc. The Federal Republic of Somalia became a full member on 4th March 2024 after it was admitted into the EAC bloc on 24th November 2023.

Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji expressed Somalia's commitment to promoting regional economic growth and social development by leveraging its abundant national resources.

“We recognise the importance of adding value to the Community, enhancing collaboration with our neighbours and promoting regional economic and social development through increased trade, bilateral agreements and joint programmes and projects,” he was quoted by the East African.

As part of its membership obligations, Somalia will designate a ministry and appoint a minister to oversee EAC matters. The country will also elect nine members of Parliament to the East African Legislative Assembly and appoint a judge to the First Instance Division of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ).