Addis Ababa — –Ethiopia remains firmly committed to advancing regional integration and ensuring the success of the Horn of Africa Initiative, State Minister of Trade and Regional Integration Tazer Gebregziabher said.
Addressing the Horn of Africa Initiative Trade Ministers Meeting in Addis Ababa, Tazer said Ethiopia considers regional integration a central pillar of its development strategy and has been working with neighboring countries and partners to mobilize resources for regional trade corridors and trade-facilitating infrastructure.
“We have placed regional integration at the center of our development strategy and have worked closely with our neighbors and partners to mobilize substantial resources for regional corridors and trade facilitating infrastructure,” he said.
Ethiopia is determined to play a constructive role in advancing dialogue, aligning policies and sharing experiences to ensure the initiative delivers tangible benefits for all participating countries, the state minister said.
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He noted that Ethiopia’s Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda is closely aligned with its regional integration efforts, aimed at building a more open, predictable and competitive economy capable of integrating more effectively with regional and global markets.
“Our reforms aim to create a more open, predictable, and competitive economy that can better integrate with regional and global markets,” Tazer said.
He added that Ethiopia has taken important steps to improve the business climate, modernize customs and trade systems, and strengthen key institutions.
The country is also advancing preparations for accession to the World Trade Organization, which he said would further support transparency and rules-based trade.
“We are also investing in strategic transport and logistics corridors that serve not only Ethiopia, but the wider region,” he said.
The state minister said Ethiopia’s progress demonstrates its determination to pursue domestic reforms that complement its regional commitments and contribute to broader economic integration across the Horn.
For his part, Somalia’s Minister of Commerce and Industry and Chair of the Horn of Africa Initiative meeting, Gamal Mohamed Hassan, said the region occupies one of Africa’s most strategically important commercial positions.
The Horn connects Africa’s interior with the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, while sitting along major maritime routes linking Europe and Asia, he noted.
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“Our regional economy does not reflect that geography. That’s the gap this initiative must help us close,” Gamal said.
He highlighted Somalia’s efforts to modernize customs systems, simplify trade procedures and create a more supportive environment for small-scale cross-border traders, stressing that stronger regional integration is essential to unlocking the Horn’s economic potential.
“A corridor is not one country’s asset; it depends on every jurisdiction through which goods must move. No single government can make a regional corridor efficient by acting alone,” he said.
The Horn of Africa Initiative Trade Ministers Meeting is focused on accelerating implementation of the region’s trade agenda, building on analytical work and stakeholder consultations conducted since 2020.
The discussions come as countries in the Horn seek to turn the region’s strategic geographic position into stronger trade connectivity, more efficient corridors and greater economic integration, it was learned.