By Chris Muhizi for MCN.
The EAC secretary said Mogadishu had reached the negotiation stage during a press conference on Wednesday in Arusha, Tanzania. He also expressed optimism that Somalia will be welcomed to the bloc this year.
“The EAC carried out a verification mission to determine whether Somalia was prepared to join the bloc, and the report was discussed and distributed to all partner states. Beginning on August 22 and lasting through September 5th, talks for its admission will take place, according to Dr. Mathuki.
In order to determine Somalia’s suitability, the EAC initiated a verification mission on January 25, 2023, after it submitted an application to join the Community back in 2012.
On June 6, 2023, the EAC Heads of State met in Bujumbura and endorsed the report of the verification team, allowing the Council of Ministers and the EAC Secretariat to start talks with Mogadishu.
Because of its connectivity to the Middle East and its large diaspora in Europe, America, and elsewhere, Somalia’s former foreign minister said that the country had a lot to gain. However, the region also has a lot to gain from Somalia.
The regional integration and market opening, he continued, will help drive down the cost of goods and represent the way forward for Africa and East Africa.
The new kind of terrorism has integration as its archenemy, and terrorism will be destroyed through regional collaboration and integration.
The Council of Ministers will review the negotiation report from the EAC Secretariat, and the Council of Ministers will then present the report to the Heads of State Summit in the latter part of this year.
Somalia has taken a significant step toward joining the East African Community (EAC), according to Secretary-General Peter Mathuki.