The 25th Ministerial Meeting For Horn of Africa Initiative
The Economic Planning Principal Secretary, Dr. Bonface Makokha, earlier today, 14th July, 2025 represented The National Treasury Cabinet Secretary, Hon. FCPA John Mbadi during the 25th Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI) Ministerial Meeting at the African Development Bank (AfDB) Offices in Nairobi.
The meeting which brought together delegates from several Countries among them Somalia, Djibouti , Ethiopia, European Union,Sudan and Germany focused on Digital Integration in the Horn of Africa.
Moreover, the discussion took stock of implementation progress under various HoAI regional operations. It also reviewed the status of key policy actions, notably those that were discussed and adopted in December 2023 and considered emerging issues.
During the conference, the participants provided a strategic guidance on the way forward with the aim to foster coordinated efforts in order to improve the enabling environment for accelerated regional digital integration and addressing identified issues.
CS John Mbadi welcomed the delegates to Nairobi for the 25th Ministerial Meeting marking the first gathering since Somalia assumed the chairmanship from Ethiopia.
On top of that, the CS reaffirmed support for the Initiative’s four pillars which include; Infrastructure Connectivity, Economic and Trade Integration, Building Resilience and Human Capital Development.
He further acknowledged the issue of Digital Integration that is not just fundamental in shaping regional economies, but also the very fabric of how people live, learn and trade.
The CS therefore, reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to implementing regional projects and policy actions and emphasized on the importance of Regional cooperation.
In attendance were;Hon. Mr. Bihi Iman Egeh, Minister of Finance, Somalia – Chair, Mrs. Nnenna Nwabufo, Vice President, Regional Development, Integration & Business Delivery, AfDB Co-Chair, Raphael Owino, Director general of Public Debt Management Office and James Maina, Ag. Economic Planning Secretary among other officials.
