BY MISGANAW ASNAKE
ADDIS ABABA- Ethiopia has been carrying out extensive tasks to foster its trade relations with the Horn of Africa (HoA) countries to attain the much-cherished regional integration, the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration (MoTRI) said.
Speaking to The Ethiopian Herald MoTRI Bilateral Trade Integration Desk Head Gebretsadik Tassew stated that Ethiopia prioritizes trade with neighboring countries owning to shared borders and communities.
Ethiopia is highly connected in trade and other businesses with Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. “Ethiopia signed various trade agreements with its neighbors at different times to reinforce the business-to-business ties. These agreements have greatly benefited the border communities to exchange commodities easily, make goods accessible and follow legal way, and ease the shortage of goods in border areas.”
Moreover, Ethiopia signed special trade agreements with Kenya, Sudan and South Sudan to reduce tariff on goods and gradually to make the tariff zero on some commodities. The annual meetings that Horn countries hold at the ministerial level are also instrumental in forwarding directions to ensure a free movement of goods and ease challenges in cross-border trade, Gebretsadik added.
“Ethiopia has bilateral trade agreements with many countries and it has top ten destinations for its agricultural exports. Accordingly, Ethiopia’s agricultural commodities including vegetables are highly desirable in the neighboring countries markets.”
For International and Regional Trade Development Lead Executive Officer Mussie Mindaye, putting the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) into effect would bring paramount importance to Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa at large. When the AfCFTA comes into effect, there will be a seamless flow of goods in the region, and the tariff and other regulations will be highly harmonized. The officer further highlighted that Ethiopia sent a document to make a trade agreement with Eritrea and to start exporting products.
The Ethiopian Herald 19 March 2023
