The Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI) Trade Facilitation Roadmap Regional Validation Workshop was successfully held in Nairobi, bringing together trade experts from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan for two days of productive and consensual discussions.
The workshop achieved an important milestone with the validation and endorsement of the Regional Trade Facilitation Roadmap, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing regional trade integration and cooperation.
The endorsed Roadmap will now be presented to the Trade Ministers at the upcoming Ministerial Meeting in Addis Ababa, chaired by H.E. Gamal M. Hassan, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Somalia, where the Ministers are expected to sign the Roadmap and provide direction for its implementation.
The Ministerial comes at a critical time. Given today’s challenging economic and geopolitical realities, coupled with the need to accelerate growth and create jobs, trade is pivotal to regional integration, economic resilience and shared prosperity.
Special thanks to the Government of Germany and KfW* for co-facilitating the process, and to all HoAI Development Partners for their continued support to advancing regional integration in the Horn of Africa.