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Taipei, 15 September 2025 — The Governor of the Central Bank of Somaliland, Mr Abdinasir Ahmed Hersi, together with Senior Advisor Mr Mohamud Ahmed Mohamud and the Somaliland Representative in Taiwan, Ambassador Mahmoud Adan Jama Galal, today held a series of high-level meetings with Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) and the Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Talks centred on deepening co-operation across a range of regulatory and operational areas, with particular emphasis on financial supervision, monetary stability and institutional capacity-building. Both sides stressed the importance of closer collaboration to support sustainable financial development and to ensure resilience in the face of global economic challenges. Governor Hersi reaffirmed Somaliland’s commitment to developing a transparent and resilient financial sector capable of facilitating trade, attracting investment and underpinning long-term economic growth. He welcomed Taiwan’s proven expertise in financial governance as a valuable model for Somaliland’s evolving institutions. For their part, the FSC and Taiwan’s Central Bank expressed their readiness to explore avenues for technical assistance, professional training programmes and knowledge-sharing initiatives to support Somaliland in modernising its financial frameworks. Such efforts are expected to enhance regulatory oversight, bolster the stability of the banking sector and strengthen confidence in Somaliland’s financial system. Ambassador Mahmoud Adan Jama Galal underscored the wider significance of the visit, observing that the engagements reflect the growing diplomatic and economic partnership between Somaliland and Taiwan. He noted that greater co-operation in financial governance will complement broader initiatives to deepen bilateral relations across multiple sectors. This latest round of discussions marks a further milestone in the Somaliland–Taiwan relationship, reinforcing a shared commitment to mutual support, institutional development and sustainable economic progress.

On July 24, 2025, Taiwan and Somaliland signed a landmark coast guard cooperation agreement, opening a new chapter in maritime collaboration between the two partners. The signing took place in Taipei during an official visit by Somaliland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, H.E. Abdirahman Dahir Adam. President Lai Ching-te welcomed the agreement, emphasizing its significance in strengthening democratic partnerships and promoting regional security. The deal was signed by Admiral Ahmed Hurre Hariye of the Somaliland Coast Guard and Chang Chung-lung, Director-General of Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration. President Lai also highlighted the challenges both Taiwan and Somaliland face from authoritarian pressures and reaffirmed the importance of joint efforts to ensure maritime stability and international engagement. The Somaliland delegation included Minister of Presidency Khadar Hussein Abdi and Admiral Hariye. This agreement builds on earlier discussions held in 2022 and reflects the deepening ties between the two sides since the establishment of representative offices in 2020.

The Guardian, one of the world’s most influential newspapers, has conducted an exclusive interview with the President of the Republic of Somaliland, H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi. In this important interview, the President discusses Somaliland’s democratic progress, regional stability, and its growing strategic relevance in the Horn of Africa. He also highlights Somaliland’s aspirations for international recognition and the vital role played by its partnerships, including with Taiwan. 📄 Read the full interview here: 🔗 https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/may/30/exclusive-somaliland-president-says-recognition-of-state-on-the-horizon-following-trump-talks The Somaliland Representative Office in Taiwan encourages the public, media, and international observers to read this insightful piece and stay updated on Somaliland’s diplomatic engagements.

Author: Abdiqani Muse Hassan* * Ph.D. Candidate in International Business, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan   In 2020, the Republic of Somaliland and the Republic of China (Taiwan) formed diplomatic relations and established representative offices in the respective capitals. Since then, the two countries have started technical assistance projects in agriculture, information technology, and medical sectors, nevertheless, the economic cooperation has yet to get momentum. The relationship between Somaliland and Taiwan is conducive to greater economic integration because of the existing industry complementarity and commitment to do business with one another. Taiwan’s government and business community have eyes on Africa and are fully aware of business opportunities and market potentials in Africa, unfortunately, the country has a few allies in the continent including Eswatini and Somaliland. Therefore, Somaliland could become a hub for Taiwan to establish economic ties with the population of 400 million-plus in the East African region. With that in mind, Taiwan has begun its efforts to engage Africa through Somaliland and has organized trade fairs that brought together businesspeople and chambers of commerce from East African countries in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Taiwan’s presence in Somaliland provides an opportunity for the Taiwanese business community to take advantage of the free trade agreements of African countries such as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) and to explore investment opportunities in Africa. But for bilateral relations to be mutually beneficial, Taiwan can contribute to the development of Somaliland’s domestic economy by sharing its miraculous economic experience from the 1960s to the 1990s. If Taiwan helps Somaliland build a debt-free economy through know-how exchange and capacity building, it may convince other African countries to set up diplomatic offices in Taiwan. Aside from the importance and benefits that Somaliland-Taiwan economic ties can bring to Taiwan; the question is whether Somaliland is a place worth investing in? or is it a place where economic growth can take place? Somaliland’s Market Potentials Unlike some of the neighboring countries, Somaliland is a peaceful, stable, and democratic nation with a free-market economy. Somaliland locates at a strategic location which makes it an integral part of the world economy since ancient times. Somaliland’s coastal towns of Zeila, Lasqoray, and Berbera were famous for vibrant trade activities where raw materials and primary products from inland Africa were exported to other territories, and the imports from the rest of the world were received. In addition, Somaliland has plenty of untapped reserves of natural resources such as minerals (iron ore, uranium, copper, tin, bauxite, gypsum, etc.), salt, and natural gas. These numerous natural resources are yet to be exploited because of the poor infrastructure and the decades of international isolation. On the other hand, Somaliland has a predominantly young and multilingual workforce that can play an important role in economic development. In terms of physical infrastructure, Somaliland and neighboring countries are building their infrastructure to promote trade flow and connectivity such as the Berbera Corridor which aims to connect Berber, Somaliland port city, and Addis-Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. UAE also invests 500 million to increase Berbera port capacity and build Berbera airport. On the other hand, Somaliland is improving its trade and investment regulations to create legal frameworks that can attract foreign partners to invest in Somaliland. There are also plenty of profitable business opportunities in the sectors of livestock production, fishery development, outsourcing manufacturing, tourism, and services. The Somaliland National Development Plan Vision of 2030 gives the highest priority to economic development; hence the government of Somaliland is committed to establishing economic cooperation with partner countries. On the other hand, the people of Somaliland are creative and entrepreneurial people who prefer to get foreign direct investment instead of foreign aid. All these factors taken together can make Somaliland an attractive investment destination for Taiwanese businesses. Current and Future Collaborations Despite the COVID19 restrictions and its subsequent difficulties in trade, travel, and investment flow, Somaliland and Taiwan have successfully collaborated in organizing trade fairs, matchmaking webinars, market opportunity seminars, and many more trade and investment promotion activities. Several MOUs were signed by companies and institutions from Taiwan, Somaliland, and other East African partners. Moreover, there were some import-export activities of products from Taiwan and some raw materials from Somaliland such as Frankincense. In terms of investment, China Petroleum Corporation (CPC) lead the way and pleaded to invest millions in Somaliland’s oil exploration and drilling activities. Most importantly, recent Somaliland’s delegation to Taiwan has met with the Minister of Economic Affairs of Taiwan and important trade and business associations in Taiwan to discuss future economic cooperation. To maintain these efforts, it is necessary to remove the basic barriers hindering economic cooperation and establish favorable trade and investment environment. One of the biggest challenges facing Somaliland in terms of international economic cooperation is the immature regulatory system which is sometimes incomplete or doesn’t exist at all. Therefore, Taiwan and Somaliland authorities should prioritize collaborating in reviewing Somaliland’s trade and investment laws to establish global standard regulations which can attract international investors and can facilitate economic diversification and growth. Data and statistics are also necessary to make business and financial decisions, hence, the two countries should conduct joint feasibility studies and work together in the areas of research, exploration, and data collection. Another key element of economic development is to have a strong human infrastructure that is healthy, well-educated, and well-trained society. Taiwan can assist in the development of basic industrial human resources through establishing vocational schools, providing scholarships, training, industry visits, and exchange of human capital. In addition to the human resource development cooperation and policy reviews, Taiwan can also contribute by investing the critical infrastructure for economic development such as roads, telecommunications, water, energy, food processing manufacturers, and other sectors which are necessary to boost the country’s productivity. Taiwan has lending and investment programs for partner countries therefore funding Somaliland’s basic infrastructure can boost economic cooperation between the two countries. As the president of Somaliland, H.E Musa Bihi has repeatedly said Somaliland’s people and government prefer to attract foreign investment