By Pascal Ndegwa - Reporter
Kenya, October 15, 2026 - Business remains the primary driver of Kenya’s economy, generating employment, fostering innovation and funding national development. Without thriving enterprises in communities, citizens cannot meaningfully improve their lives.
It is against this backdrop that the Global Somali Entrepreneurship Forum 2026 will bring together business leaders from across the region. The third edition of the summit is scheduled for 24 and 25 October in Nairobi.
Speaking about the event, Kamukunji Member of Parliament Hon. Yusuf Hassan Abdi underscored the critical role of business in creating income and promoting stability. He noted that economic activity has the power to bring calm to communities through its daily operations.
The MP highlighted the significant contribution of the Somali community to commerce across East Africa and the Horn of Africa. From Dar es Salaam and Kinshasa to Lubumbashi, Kigali, Kampala and beyond, Somali entrepreneurs have been at the forefront of driving development and wealth creation in the areas where they operate.
He praised the young organisers of the forum for initiating the platform, describing the idea of bringing people together as “amazing.” The gathering, he said, promotes cooperation and the pooling of resources to strengthen businesses across East Africa, particularly in Kenya.
Hassan further linked the expansion of the East African Community to the broader goal of African unity. He described the EAC as one of the building blocks toward removing colonial borders and facilitating the free movement of goods and people.
The accession of Somalia to the East African Community, he said, is a game-changer that benefits not only the Somali community but the entire region. It opens new trading opportunities for all East Africans and allows Somali citizens greater access to the EAC market.
More from Kenya
Turning to a long-standing concern, the MP called for the urgent reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border. He described the prolonged closure as absurd, noting that no country in the world has kept its borders shut with a neighbour for such an extended period.
“You cannot close a border like that,” Hassan said. “It means there are restrictions, but people continue to move through porous barriers. Revenues that would have come to the government are not collected because of the so-called policy of closing borders.”
He emphasised that Africa’s aspiration and vision is to have open borders. With Somalia now a member of the East African Community, he argued, there is no justification whatsoever for maintaining the closure.
Hassan urged the authorities to review the situation as quickly as possible and do the logical and rational thing. Open borders, he concluded, are safer than closed ones.
He wished the organisers and participants of the Global Somali Entrepreneurship Forum every success as they prepare for the two-day event in Nairobi later this month.