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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday in Addis Ababa for a one-day working visit, with both leaders discussing ways to deepen bilateral relations and regional cooperation centered on trade, security and regional stability in the Horn of Africa. Abiy described the talks on his official Facebook page as “productive discussions, continuing the bilateral engagements we have been working on over the past year,” signaling continuity in the two neighbors’…

AfDB approves $76.37 million in additional financing to boost Somalia’s road corridors, cross-border trade Sunday December 14, 2025 The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved $76.37 million in additional financing for Somalia’s Road Infrastructure Program, strengthening a key segment of the Horn of Africa corridor linking Somalia with Ethiopia and Djibouti and aimed at accelerating regional trade and integration. In a statement issued Thursday, the bank said the program is designed to “stimulate cross-border…

Turkey starts building Somalia spaceport, a strategic equatorial launch site drawing global scrutiny Turkey has begun constructing a satellite and rocket launch site on Somalia’s Indian Ocean coast, a bold step that Ankara says will accelerate its space ambitions and that outside observers say is already drawing intense attention from rival powers. The spaceport — publicly backed by Baykar chairman Selçuk Bayraktar — is being developed under Turkish state authority on a roughly 30-by-30-kilometer coastal tract. Turkish…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The National Union of Somali Journalists concluded its participation in the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence with a slate of trainings, safeguarding measures and a human rights colloquium that union leaders say will strengthen protections for women journalists and raise ethical reporting standards across Somalia. Backed by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, the Nov. 25–Dec. 10 campaign combined practical newsroom interventions with public awareness efforts aimed at confronting…

IMF approves additional $40 million for Somalia, releases $30 million in immediate budget support MOGADISHU — The International Monetary Fund has approved an additional $40 million for Somalia after completing the fourth review of the country’s Extended Credit Facility, authorizing an immediate $30 million disbursement for budget support. The decision lifts Somalia’s total access under the program to about $140 million and brings cumulative disbursements to roughly $100 million under the arrangement approved in December…

Mogadishu (AX) — China has donated $1 million to the Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) to bolster drought relief as seasonal rains falter and food insecurity deepens across the country, Somali and Chinese officials said Monday. Chinese Ambassador to Somalia Wang Yu formally handed over the contribution during a high-level meeting hosted by SoDMA Commissioner Mohamud Moalim Abdulle in Mogadishu. Wang said the aid reflects Beijing’s commitment to stand by Somalia “during these difficult times,” citing the “principle…

Somalia, Yemen hold high-level defense talks in Cairo to bolster Red Sea, Gulf of Aden security Mogadishu (AX) — Somali Minister of Defence Ahmed Moallim Fiqi met his Yemeni counterpart, Lieutenant General Mohsen Mohammed Ahmed Al-Daari, in Cairo on Thursday for high-level talks aimed at strengthening defense cooperation and tightening maritime security across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s most vital shipping corridors. The talks, attended by the Commander of the Somali National Armed Forces, Major General…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has acceded to the Convention on the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), a step the federal government says will upgrade the country’s maritime safety, search-and-rescue capacity and technological integration across its busy coastline. Ports and Marine Transport Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nor deposited Somalia’s instrument of accession during a meeting with International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez on the sidelines of the IMO Assembly’s 34th regular…

Puntland State officials visit newly liberated Dhaadaar to assess security and morale A senior Puntland State delegation traveled to the newly secured town of Dhaadaar on Monday to meet frontline commanders and gauge the security picture after recent operations. The visit aimed to lift troop morale and align the next steps on stabilization, humanitarian access and the return of services for residents. The delegation was led by Interior Minister Abdi Farah Juxa and included State Minister of the Presidency Abdifatah Abdinur…

New Afreximbank chief vows to turn raw exports into homegrown industry — but the path is steep In a stately ceremony in Cairo on Oct. 25, Dr. George Elombi took the oath as president and chairman of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), laying out a mission that is at once technical and deeply political: to break a continent’s dependence on exporting raw materials and instead build the factories, ports and skills that keep wealth in Africa. "To change the structure, we must process. We must produce. Unless we…