On April 23, Somalia officially assumed the leadership of the Horn of Africa Cooperation Forum during the 24th Ministers’ Meeting of the Horn of Africa Cooperation, held at the World Bank in Washington, DC.

This decision for Somalia to take over was made during the 23rd Finance Ministers’ Meeting of the countries involved in the Horn of Africa Initiative, which took place in Addis Ababa in February.

The Horn of Africa Initiative focuses on enhancing trade integration, improving infrastructure, and funding key projects in the region.

Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Biixi Iimaan Cige, who is taking over this role for Somalia, stated that the country is committed to strengthening regional cooperation, boosting trade, and investing in cross-border infrastructure, particularly emphasizing the importance of addressing both natural and human-made challenges.

“It is an honour to succeed my counterpart, Minister Ahmed Shide of Ethiopia, as the chair of the Horn of Africa Initiative today. Somalia is a proud founding member of this empowering regional initiative and is determined to push forward with realising its full potential.,” said Minister Biixi on X.

Somalia takes over from Ethiopia, which held the position for the past two years, and will hold this leadership position for the next two years.

The Horn of Africa Initiative, which includes Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan, was established in October 2019.