NAIROBI (Halbeeg News) – The talks to admit Somalia to the East African Community are nearing completion for the first time since Mogadishu asked for membership.
The negotiations which begun Tuesday last week are coming to an end on September 5, 2023.
According to a senior source, after the conclusion of the discussions, a report would be delivered to the EAC Council of Ministers.
The Ministers will next review the report and make recommendations to the EAC Heads of State Summit.
“The decision to admit a new country into the Community belongs to the Summit, not the Council of Ministers or the negotiations team,” the source explained.
The horn of Africa nation first applied to join the EAC in 2012 and an approval given by the Heads of States Summit in 2013, but the process collapsed. This was blamed on political instability in the country.
Somalia has the longest national coastline of over 3,000km in Africa, linking Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, which the region will tap into to increase intra-regional trade.
Somalia is also believed to have huge oil deposits with its vast coastal line positioning it as a major fish supplier in the region.
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