Uganda & Somalia to Sign Eight Bilateral Documents by End of the Year
IN PICTURES Amb. (Maj Gen) Nathan K. Mugisha, Deputy Head of Mission Embassy of the Republic of Uganda, Mogadishu - Somalia briefing members of the Press
Uganda will by the end of the year have signed more than eight agreements with Somalia as a means to formalize government and business relations between the two countries.
This follows the recent Official Visit by H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Republic of Somalia to Uganda, where the two countries held the JPC and an Investment and Business Summit from 8-11 August 2022.
Flanked by Mr Robert Mugimba, the Accounting Officer at the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda in Mogadishu , Maj .Gen Nathan Mugisha, the Deputy Head of Mission at Uganda’s Embassy in Mogadishu said the recent Joint Permanent Commission helped both countries to review a number of cooperation areas including signing and formalizing a set of others in Defence and Investment.
Maj. Gen Mugisha told reporters at Mofa headquarters that Uganda and Somalia also seek sign a much sought-after Memorandum of Understanding on immigration and customs.
Others, he said will be between Uganda National Bureau of Standards and Somalia’s standards body on top of fast tracking the bilateral air service agreement.
This happens as the country plans to reduce its military presence in Somalia.
“These are MoU drafts to be signed between now and December,” Mugisha said, noting that the intervention to pacify the war-ravaged Somalia has helped Kampala score a number of diplomatic points with the global North.
At bilateral level, a Framework Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Uganda and the Federal Government of Somalia was signed in Kampala, on 19th November 2016 and various MOUs have since been signed including; MOU Operationalizing the MoU the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) signed in August, 2019 and BASA was initialed, MOU between Uganda and Somalia Chambers of Commerce signed on 01st April 2022 and and MOU between Makerere University and Somali University.
The two countries have also signed MoU on Diplomatic and Political Consultations by the respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs, MOU on Defence Cooperation, MoU on Trade Cooperation and MoU between Investment Agencies of the respective countries
The Kampala Declaration on Uganda-Somalia includes strengthening bilateral cooperation in Trade, Investment and Tourism between Uganda and Somalia, Address the Non-Tariff Barriers among others.
It should be remembered that Uganda was the first country to deploy troops to Somalia and remains the leading Troop Contributing Country (TCC) to AMISOM.
AMISOM now ATMIS has brought relative peace and stability in Somalia, leading to some noticeable economic recovery, a boom in trade and reconstruction.
Uganda has invested heavily in stabilizing and pacifying Somalia, it’s therefore important to engage in commercial and economic diplomacy to reap in trade and investment opportunities.
Total trade between Uganda and Somalia remains low, despite the existing potential and the good relations between the two countries.
Uganda’s imports from Somalia include Aircraft, Spacecraft, Articles of apparel, meat and optical, photo, technical, medical apparatus. On the other hand, exports are mainly: Dairy Produce, Beverages, Spirits and Tobacco
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