Posted by: Hanad Askar Somalia has completed the final legal step toward joining the African Continental Free Trade Area after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud signed the agreement into law. Once the instrument is deposited with the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Somalia will become the 50th African country to complete ratification of the continent’s flagship free trade agreement. “This is not simply a trade agreement,” Commerce and Industry Minister Gamal M. Hassan said in a statement. According to international trade data, Somalia exported goods worth roughly $448 million in 2024 while importing about $3.1 billion, leaving the country with a trade deficit of approximately $2.65 billion. These include submitting Somalia’s tariff liberalization schedules, establishing rules of origin to certify Somali products, and strengthening customs and regulatory institutions to meet continental trading standards.