Sudan rejoins Horn of Africa trade initiative after multi-year absence
The decision ends Sudan’s absence from the project committee following years of domestic turmoil. Sudan had formally joined the regional body in mid-2021 during its eighth ministerial meeting, when the initial trade facilitation roadmap was formulated.
The broader Horn of Africa Initiative was founded earlier, in October 2019, to foster economic integration across the region with backing from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, and the European Union.
The finance ministry said donors accepted a formal request presented by State Minister of Finance Mohamed Nour Eldaim during recent regional meetings.
Eldaim argued that Sudan’s agricultural capacity, natural resources, and geographic position connecting the Horn of Africa to the Sahel and North Africa make it central to regional trade routes.
Steered at the ministerial level rather than by heads of state, the initiative brings together seven nations: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan. The group operates under a rotating biennial chair, currently held by Somalia’s Finance Minister Bihi Iman Egeh.
The body focuses on boosting regional integration and resilience across four key pillars: cross-border transport, digital systems, energy connectivity, and trade facilitation. It also targets climate and community crisis mitigation as well as human capital development in health, education, and labour.
Following the approval, Minister of Industry and Trade Mahasin Ali Yagoub ordered the formation of a technical team to oversee the country’s integration into the initiative’s operational programs.
Officials hope the move will help revive Sudan’s formal trade channels, improve border infrastructure, curb illicit financial flows, and draw international investment back into key economic corridors.