Somalia Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in somalia, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Trade Barriers
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As part of its economic recovery, Somalia is seeking to accelerate accession to regional and multi-lateral trade regulations, including the WTO, COMESA, and the EAC.  Some of the most common trade tariffs affect food and non-food items.  Somalia does not impose any specific non-tariff barrier to protect local industries.  Almost all food, non-food and pharmaceutical products are allowed to be imported.  Some medical drugs listed by the WHO are banned from being imported to the country.  Additionally, all the foodstuffs that are nearing expiration dates are prohibited.  Since 2020, Somalia has banned chemical-based fertilizer importation due to security concerns.  This ban does not include organic fertilizers commonly used by farmers.

Somalia’s customs taxation systems have not been fully harmonized across the country, and importers may experience different import duties based on the location of the port of entry.  Somaliland and Puntland operate differently from the ports in the country’s south and may differ significantly in regulations.  Importers need to familiarize themselves with local rules based on the port of entry of their consignments.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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