Under Somalia’s Chairmanship of the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI), and with Germany providing strong technical leadership, a series of national trade consultations have been successfully conducted in Somalia, Djibouti, and Ethiopia to advance the Regional Trade Facilitation Roadmap. Strengthening country ownership of trade reforms ahead of the Trade Ministers’ Meeting scheduled for September 2026 is a key priority for Somalia, as HoAI Chair.
Bringing together government institutions, border authorities, and private sector representatives, the consultations helped validate and refine key priorities in the HoAI the Regional Trade Facilitation Roadmap, identify practical solutions to improve trade flows across the region. A major outcome was broad support for establishing a Regional Trade Facilitation Committee to guide implementation, enhance coordination, and promote sustained public-private dialogue.
Stakeholders, led by Somalia’s Minister of Commerce and Industry who will Chair the September Trade Minister’s meeting, emphasized the need to move from policy discussions to implementation-driven actions—particularly in border management, customs cooperation, digitalization of trade processes, and improved coordination across agencies. The importance of aligning regional efforts with national priorities and on the ground realities and introducing clear monitoring frameworks was also highlighted.
Building on this momentum, upcoming national consultations in South Sudan and Kenya will further validate the roadmap, with final outcomes to be consolidated and endorsed at a regional workshop. The revised Regional Trade Facilitation Roadmap and accompanying Joint Ministerial Declaration are expected to be presented by the Chair at the HoAI Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, marking a significant step toward deeper regional trade integration and economic cooperation in the Horn of Africa.