Addis Ababa: Securing access to the sea can make Ethiopia a driving engine of economic development in the Horn of Africa, an Iraqi veteran journalist told ENA.
Middle East Online Editor-in-Chief and Al Arab Publishing Group Executive Editor, Haitham El-Zobaidi El-Zobaidi noted that the Government of Ethiopia has been searching for diversified and reliable way of securing access to the sea through a win-win approach to expedite import-export trade.
The country, with its vast fertile lands, burgeoning industrial parks, and population of 120 million, holds the potential to become the economic engine of the region.
For Ethiopia to be a driving engine of economic development in the region, it needs access to the sea, and the government has been knocking on the doors of neighboring countries, El-Zobaidi explained.
‘Ethiopia is a big country, population-wise. It has got potential. Any economic development needs access to the sea. Having Ethiopia as the driving economic power in the Horn of Africa will benefit
the whole region. It is a big market. If you get access to this market, it is a great source.’
If the country secures diversified and reliable access as it is aspiring, its agricultural, industrial boom will certainly foster the economy of the region, the journalist said.
El-Zobaidi aptly noted that with ports within reach, Ethiopia’s exports will flow spontaneously, connecting the country to new markets and weaving a web of economic interdependence across the region.
The country’s agricultural prowess is renowned, with vast swathes of fertile land yielding a variety of agricultural products for domestic consumption and export.
According to El-Zobaidi, with these agricultural potential and ample resources, the manufacturing sector, especially driven by over the dozen industrial parks across the country, is gaining momentum.
This way, ‘Ethiopia can be the driving engine of the economy in the Horn of Africa,’ the journalist stressed, pointing out its population and economic potentials.
In connection with
this, the government’s ongoing efforts to secure sea access through a cooperative and win-win approach is an opportunity for the neighboring countries and the region, he underscored.
Ethiopia is a raising nation reshaping economic landscape of the region, and by embracing this momentum and nurturing cross-border collaboration, the region can witness the dawn of a brighter future, fueled by the engine of a resurgent of this dynamic Ethiopia.
Ethiopian News Agency