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Somalia this week made a major diplomatic milestone to structurally integrate into the East African Community (EAC) with the signing of an immigration Memorandum of Understanding with Tanzania.
The signing of the MoU made Somalia, the EAC’s newest partner state, transition from accession milestones to practically implementing the regional systems.
The MoU signed in Dar Es Salaam introduces visa-free and visa-on-arrival arrangements and strengthens structured collaboration between immigration authorities of the two nations.
Officials say the agreement is expected to ease travel, enhance institutional cooperation, and unlock opportunities in tourism, investment, education, and business mobility between the two countries.
They also reached a formal authorisation for Somalia to adopt and print the East African Community (EAC) e-Passport—two developments that underscore deepening bilateral cooperation and Somalia’s growing integration into the regional bloc.
This Immigration MoU marks a historic moment in Somalia–Tanzania relations, unveiling new pathways for mobility, trade, education, and tourism, while strengthening the bonds between the citizens of the two countries and their institutions.
The signing of the immigration MoU is expected to pave the way for the implementation of direct flights between Somalia and Tanzania—an initiative expected to further boost economic ties, connectivity, and people-to-people engagement.
The authorisation for Somalia to adopt and print the EAC passport is a major step towards full regional integration.
This will facilitate the movement of Tanzanian and Somali nationals, as well as positioning Somalia more firmly within the East African integration agenda.
The EAC e-Passport is designed to harmonise travel documentation across partner states, improve border security, and strengthen document verification through embedded electronic chips and biometric identifiers.
The initiative supports the bloc’s broader efforts to ease lawful cross-border movement for work, business, study, and family travel.
Somalia’s move comes as immigration cooperation with Tanzania gains momentum, including visa facilitation measures and expanded institutional collaboration.
The country was admitted to the regional economic bloc by the Summit of Heads of State in November 2023, and became a full member on March 4, 2024, after depositing its instrument of ratification with the EAC Secretary General in Arusha.
The EAC e-Passport itself is a flagship regional integration project first launched at the 17th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State in March 2016.
Issued in diplomatic, service, and ordinary categories, the passport features standardised design elements, biometric security, and colour-coding aligned with EAC identity standards to ensure uniform recognition across member states.
For Somalia, the authorisation to adopt and print the passport aligns with broader reforms in identity management and travel documentation, part of a wider modernisation effort by national immigration authorities.
The East African Community represents a market of more than 331 million people and a combined GDP estimated at over $300 billion. Harmonised travel systems are central to accelerating regional mobility, trade, and socio-economic integration.
Together, the Somalia–Tanzania Immigration MoU and the adoption of the EAC e-Passport signal a new chapter in regional cooperation—one defined by connectivity, practical integration, and strengthened ties between governments and citizens alike.
Somalia’s Ambassador to Tanzania and Permanent Representative to the EAC, Ilyaas Ali Hassan, described the agreement as a turning point in bilateral relations:
Meanwhile, the consultative conference that was aborted is back on the cards again. Sources close to Villa Somalia indicated that the conference may take place within this month as the calendar ticks towards parliamentary and presidential elections expected to be held in May.
The conference scheduled for February 1, 2026, was derailed after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud turned back scores of armed security teams of the presidents of the regional states of Puntland and Jubaland.
The flights for the security detail for Said Abdullahi Deni (Puntland) and Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madiobe (Jubaland) were turned back mid-air as they prepared to land in Mogadishu, throwing the conference into disarray.
However, this week, President Mohamud, together with his Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, went on a charm offensive to woo back the opposition leaders operating under the banner of the Somali Future Council (SFC).
The president used a luncheon he hosted for the officials of SFC last Tuesday to settle for Villa Somalia as the venue of the consultative meeting. Similarly, the prime minister reached out to both Deni and Madobe to support the initiative to get the consultative conference back on track.
While no date has been agreed yet, the SFC leaders are reported to have agreed to hold the conference inside Villa Somalia with technical teams from both sides harmonising the agenda for the meeting.
The consultative conference is expected to focus on accelerating discussions on Somalia’s political direction, particularly electoral arrangements, amid warnings of a looming constitutional and political impasse.
It also aims to strengthen national unity and social cohesion, support a democratic process based on consultation and compromise as well as ensure that citizens’ voices play a central role in shaping the country’s future.
The abortive conference had the backing of the United Kingdom and key international organizations including the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS).
They welcomed the Somali federal government’s decision to convene the national consultative forum and its formal invitation to SFC, a leading opposition alliance, as political tensions rose to a crescendo over the country’s electoral timeline.
The UN mission reaffirmed its support for an inclusive political dialogue aimed at reaching a broad consensus on elections before constitutional mandates expire in the coming months.
All eyes will be on Villa Somalia and President Mohamud on how he intends to steer the preparations for the conference that should shape the future of Somalia.
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The signing of the MoU made Somalia, the EAC’s newest partner state, transition from accession milestones to practically implementing the regional systems.
The MoU signed in Dar Es Salaam introduces visa-free and visa-on-arrival arrangements and strengthens structured collaboration between immigration authorities of the two nations.
Officials say the agreement is expected to ease travel, enhance institutional cooperation, and unlock opportunities in tourism, investment, education, and business mobility between the two countries.
They also reached a formal authorisation for Somalia to adopt and print the East African Community (EAC) e-Passport—two developments that underscore deepening bilateral cooperation and Somalia’s growing integration into the regional bloc.
This Immigration MoU marks a historic moment in Somalia–Tanzania relations, unveiling new pathways for mobility, trade, education, and tourism, while strengthening the bonds between the citizens of the two countries and their institutions.
The signing of the immigration MoU is expected to pave the way for the implementation of direct flights between Somalia and Tanzania—an initiative expected to further boost economic ties, connectivity, and people-to-people engagement.
The authorisation for Somalia to adopt and print the EAC passport is a major step towards full regional integration.
This will facilitate the movement of Tanzanian and Somali nationals, as well as positioning Somalia more firmly within the East African integration agenda.
The EAC e-Passport is designed to harmonise travel documentation across partner states, improve border security, and strengthen document verification through embedded electronic chips and biometric identifiers.
The initiative supports the bloc’s broader efforts to ease lawful cross-border movement for work, business, study, and family travel.
Somalia’s move comes as immigration cooperation with Tanzania gains momentum, including visa facilitation measures and expanded institutional collaboration.
The country was admitted to the regional economic bloc by the Summit of Heads of State in November 2023, and became a full member on March 4, 2024, after depositing its instrument of ratification with the EAC Secretary General in Arusha.
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The EAC e-Passport itself is a flagship regional integration project first launched at the 17th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State in March 2016.
Issued in diplomatic, service, and ordinary categories, the passport features standardised design elements, biometric security, and colour-coding aligned with EAC identity standards to ensure uniform recognition across member states.
For Somalia, the authorisation to adopt and print the passport aligns with broader reforms in identity management and travel documentation, part of a wider modernisation effort by national immigration authorities.
The East African Community represents a market of more than 331 million people and a combined GDP estimated at over $300 billion. Harmonised travel systems are central to accelerating regional mobility, trade, and socio-economic integration.
Together, the Somalia–Tanzania Immigration MoU and the adoption of the EAC e-Passport signal a new chapter in regional cooperation—one defined by connectivity, practical integration, and strengthened ties between governments and citizens alike.
Somalia’s Ambassador to Tanzania and Permanent Representative to the EAC, Ilyaas Ali Hassan, described the agreement as a turning point in bilateral relations:
Meanwhile, the consultative conference that was aborted is back on the cards again. Sources close to Villa Somalia indicated that the conference may take place within this month as the calendar ticks towards parliamentary and presidential elections expected to be held in May.
The conference scheduled for February 1, 2026, was derailed after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud turned back scores of armed security teams of the presidents of the regional states of Puntland and Jubaland.
The flights for the security detail for Said Abdullahi Deni (Puntland) and Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madiobe (Jubaland) were turned back mid-air as they prepared to land in Mogadishu, throwing the conference into disarray.
However, this week, President Mohamud, together with his Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, went on a charm offensive to woo back the opposition leaders operating under the banner of the Somali Future Council (SFC).
The president used a luncheon he hosted for the officials of SFC last Tuesday to settle for Villa Somalia as the venue of the consultative meeting. Similarly, the prime minister reached out to both Deni and Madobe to support the initiative to get the consultative conference back on track.
While no date has been agreed yet, the SFC leaders are reported to have agreed to hold the conference inside Villa Somalia with technical teams from both sides harmonising the agenda for the meeting.
The consultative conference is expected to focus on accelerating discussions on Somalia’s political direction, particularly electoral arrangements, amid warnings of a looming constitutional and political impasse.
It also aims to strengthen national unity and social cohesion, support a democratic process based on consultation and compromise as well as ensure that citizens’ voices play a central role in shaping the country’s future.
The abortive conference had the backing of the United Kingdom and key international organizations including the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS).
They welcomed the Somali federal government’s decision to convene the national consultative forum and its formal invitation to SFC, a leading opposition alliance, as political tensions rose to a crescendo over the country’s electoral timeline.
The UN mission reaffirmed its support for an inclusive political dialogue aimed at reaching a broad consensus on elections before constitutional mandates expire in the coming months.
All eyes will be on Villa Somalia and President Mohamud on how he intends to steer the preparations for the conference that should shape the future of Somalia.
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By David Okwembah