Poland in Kenya

Historical view
Establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL – Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa) and Somalia took place as a result of Poland’s recognition of an independent Somali State in 1960. On 11th of July 1962 in the capitals of both countries – Warsaw and Mogadishu – a joint announcement regarding the establishment of diplomatic relations was published. In November of the same year Poland accredited its first representative in Somalia – Ambassador Kazimierz Sidor, permanently residing in Egypt. Currently, the Federal Republic of Somalia remains within the territorial jurisdiction of the Embassy of Poland in Nairobi.

Political cooperation after 1989
Poland has provided humanitarian assistance to Somalia in recent years. The Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) has been opearting in Somalia since 2011. Since 2018 it has been receiving funds from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland. Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Minister Joanna Wronecka, met twice with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia – in 2016 and 2017 at the margins of the Summit of the African Union. In 2018 Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrzej Papierz participated in the Somali Partnership Forum in Brussels. The Polish professor, Bogumił Witalis Andrzejewski, who transcribed the Somali script into Latin alphabet, is commony known in Somalia. As a consequence, the Somali scripture was recognized as nationwide in 1972.

The economy of Somalia, instability of the administrative and institutional structure of the country, difficult climate conditions, unstable security and dependence on external aid, has been among the least developed in Africa. It is dominated by the grey zone , based primarily on cattle breeding and – in the absence of a banking system – the activities of enterprises specialized in money transfers and telecommunication services. There are numerous mineral resources, including uranium, iron, manganese, tin, gypsum and petroleum in Somalia, however the exploitation of deposits is prevented by the lack of funds, insufficiently developed roads and water and sanitary infrastructure, as well as internal problems and insecurity. The main export goods of Somalia are live animals, pelts and fish, while sugar, sorghum, maize and machinery are imported. According to data from the Ministry of Enterprise and Technology, Polish-Somali foreign trade is not significant: in 2018 its balance, which consisted only of exports, amounted to 5.6 million euros. Forecasts of the International Monetary Fund assume an economic growth of 3% in 2019 (compared to 2% in 2018), to which mainly the construction, telecommunications and financial services sectors contribute.

Due to the impossibility to obtain the specimen of signatures and stamps of the authorized officials, the Embassy of Poland in Nairobi does not legalize academic documents from Somalia.

Website of the Somali Government