• Landlocked status puts nation at back foot in global commerce
HAWASSA– Social science experts explored Ethiopia’s potential recipes to turn its sea access ambition to realization while casting perspectives on the geopolitical, legal and historical scenarios the country could rely on.
Hawassa University held a panel discussion yesterday whereby the scholars signaled the potential areas in which Ethiopia can take advantage to assert its aspiration in the Red Sea and beyond.
In the half-day panel discussion that came on days after Addis Ababa inked MoU with Hargeisa, the academicians examined the competitive legal, historical and geopolitical advantages Ethiopia can make use to have either an alternative port or sea access. The MoU is said to pave the way for Ethiopia to develop a port and station a naval force in the Red Sea.
The panelists also comment on the areas in which the country takes advantage of translating its people’s aspiration for seaports into reality.
Being landlocked costs the nation dearly in terms of economic and political leverages; the panelists stated, emphasizing that the quest for sea outlets and port diversification is no longer a luxury for the once coastal nation.
There are past and contemporary factors and noble causes that oblige the largest, most populous and ancient nations to look for access to a sea or port ownership in international water bodies, stated Nigus Belay, Good Governance Studies Instructor at Hawassa University.
“Ethiopia ticks all the boxes to secure its access to a sea and can find a means to have a port alternative through peaceful and diplomatic means.”
Nigus also said that the area being a nexus to various corridors and continents is a must use resource for Ethiopia to satisfy its ever-growing economic and political demands.
For Awel Ali, Political Science and Philosophy Instructor at Hawassa University, Ethiopia cannot afford to be a bystander in the region where global powers and interest groups near and abroad contend for presence. “The country should not succumb to any pulling factors to materialize the long-held dreams of its generations.”
Albeit being landlocked, Ethiopia carries a mammoth leverage in regional and global stages and having a direct access to the sea will consequently cement its bargaining chip,
“It is regrettable that a nation with once multiple ports and long coasts remains landlocked for decades. Ethiopia shall not turn a blind eye to the bonanza that the strategic Horn region has ,” Awel emphasized.
It was learned that Ethiopia incurs 1.6 billion USD annually and experiences barriers in its import and export process. Landlocked nations face precarious situations in becoming a competent actor in world trade.
As to the panelists, international laws back Ethiopia’s claims and it is up to all partners and citizens to communicate the country’s genuine quest for a sea outlet rightfully and properly.
BY DESTA GEBEREHIWOT
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 3 JANUARY 2024
