NEW DELHI – Somalia took part in a high-level meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in New Delhi, where member states discussed stronger cooperation on trade, maritime security, and economic development amid rising regional and global challenges.
Somalia’s ambassador to India, Dr Abdullahi Mohamed Odowa, represented the country at the 28th Senior Officials’ Meeting of IORA. The gathering brought together senior officials from member states to review the organisation’s activities over the past year, examine emerging regional challenges, and prepare recommendations for foreign ministers to consider at an upcoming ministerial session.
Talks centred on deepening cooperation in areas including maritime security, economic integration, sustainable development, and assistance for communities along the Indian Ocean coast. Discussions on the sidelines of a previous IORA Council of Ministers meeting in Dhaka led to an agreement between Somalia and India to accelerate bilateral discussions, reflecting the growing importance of the forum for strengthening bilateral ties.
The meeting comes as the Indian Ocean region draws greater international attention because of its strategic role in global trade. A significant share of the world’s maritime commerce passes through the ocean, connecting major markets across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Countries in the region are also facing several challenges, including piracy, illegal fishing, climate change, maritime crime and increasing geopolitical rivalry among global powers seeking greater influence in the Indo-Pacific.
For Somalia, whose coastline extends more than 3,300 kilometres along the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, maritime security remains a key national and regional concern. The country has been deepening maritime security cooperation with partners like South Africa to prevent illegal fishing, human trafficking, and other maritime crimes that threaten regional stability and Somalia’s economic sovereignty.
In recent years, Somalia has sought closer cooperation with international partners to protect its waters, combat illegal fishing and expand opportunities in its blue economy. The government has taken decisive steps to modernise and secure its maritime trade network, including the full enforcement of the Electronic Cargo Tracking Number (ECTN) system across all national ports to strengthen oversight and protect the country’s maritime corridors from smuggling and opaque cargo movements.
Somalia has also been showcasing its fisheries potential to global investors, with the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy hosting high-level forums to attract global capital and technical expertise to develop the fisheries sector, which the government sees as a cornerstone of Somalia’s long-term economic growth and resilience.
Somalia is also awaiting the results of offshore exploration surveys conducted along the Galmudug coastline, with early indications raising hopes of substantial oil reserves beneath Somalia’s territorial waters. The geological structures are reportedly similar to those found in proven hydrocarbon basins across the Red Sea and the wider Indian Ocean rim, adding to the region’s economic significance.
Somalia’s participation in the New Delhi meeting reflects wider efforts by the federal government to strengthen engagement with regional organisations and international partners while enhancing economic ties and its role in regional affairs.
IORA, founded in 1997, brings together 23 member states from Africa, Asia and Oceania. The organisation provides a platform for cooperation on trade, investment, maritime safety, disaster risk management and sustainable development. Recommendations from the senior officials’ meeting are expected to guide discussions at the upcoming Council of Ministers meeting, where member states will review new initiatives aimed at addressing shared economic and security concerns across the Indian Ocean region.
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