NAIROBI (Halbeeg News) – Talks between the East African Community (EAC) and the Federal Republic of Somalia for the latter to join the bloc have entered fifth day.
The nine-day negotiations which bring together experts from seven EAC last week in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya.
The negotiations are expected to focus on political, legal and institutional, infrastructure, productive and social sectors and economic and trade affairs clusters among others.
Agriculture, livestock rearing, forestry, and fishing remain key driver of the economy.
EAC Secretary General Dr Peter Mathuki said that joining the community would enable Somalia to benefit from the EAC’s regional infrastructure projects such as roads, railways and energy networks.
“These projects aim to improve connectivity, enhance transportation links, and boost regional trade, ultimately supporting Somalia’s economic development and integration,” said Dr Mathuki.
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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