Turkey , Somalia Launch Dormant Labour Deal After 10 Years

By Shire Abdi - Reporter

Turkey, 14 January 2026 Somalia and Turkey on Tuesday officially launched the implementation of a long-standing bilateral agreement focused on labour markets and social protection, signaling a deepening of economic ties between the two strategic partners.

The ceremony, held in the Turkish capital, marked the formal commencement of a Memorandum of Understanding originally signed in June 2016, which had remained largely inactive for nearly a decade.

Turkish Minister of Labor and Social Security, Vedat Işıkhan, and the Somali Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Prof. Salim Aliyoow Ibro, presided over the signing of the implementation framework. The event follows the Somali Council of Ministers' ratification of the pact in July 2025 and a series of high-level preparatory meetings held in Doha late last year.

In a statement shared on X, Minister Işıkhan said the two sides had held the first meeting of the Turkey–Somalia Interministerial Joint Working Commission, with the participation of both delegations. He noted that the 2026–2027 Action Plan signed during the meeting would further deepen existing cooperation and pave the way for the exchange of knowledge and experience between the two ministries.

“We will work together on many issues—especially working life and employment—to achieve the greatest mutual benefit for our citizens.” He said.

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The newly activated roadmap outlines 15 specific action points scheduled for implementation throughout the 2026–2027 period.

According to official statements from the Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the primary focus of the cooperation involves the modernization of Somalia’s labour laws and the enhancement of occupational safety and health standards. Turkey has committed to providing specialized technical expertise to help Somalia build robust institutional frameworks for labor inspections and worker protections.

Beyond regulatory alignment, the agreement emphasizes human capital development through joint vocational training programs designed to address Somalia's high youth unemployment.

Technical sessions following the signing ceremony focused on how Turkish expertise in social service delivery can be adapted to the Somali context to improve the efficiency of state-led social welfare programs and institutional capacity within the Somali Ministry.

For Ankara, the activation of this agreement reinforces its multifaceted role in the Horn of Africa, expanding its influence beyond traditional military and infrastructure support into the realm of social governance and labour administration. For the federal government in Mogadishu, the partnership offers a pathway toward formalizing its economy and establishing a safer environment for its domestic workforce.

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