The People’s Assembly of the Federal Parliament of Somalia has ratified the Treaty of Accession to the East African Community that was signed between the Federal Republic of Somalia and the regional bloc on 15th December 2023. Parliament’s ratification of this treaty signals the completion of Somalia’s membership process, beating the 6-month deadline that had been issued for Somalia to deposit its instruments of ratification with the Secretary General of the EAC.
On November 24th, 2023, the EAC Summit in Arusha approved the request of the Federal Republic of Somalia to join the regional bloc. During the summit, the current Chairperson of the EAC and President of the Republic of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit hailed the move, terming it as a ‘‘major boost, particularly in regional and continental trade under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area – AfCFTA.’’ For his part, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud expressed optimism for stronger regional cooperation, a realization of the collective aspirations of East African citizens, and a new era filled with possibilities.
During the summit, The Council of Ministers of the East African Community was tasked by the Heads of State to create a roadmap for the full integration of the Federal Republic of Somalia into the regional body and report its progress at the next summit.
<span;>Somalia becomes the 8th member of the East African Community after Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
