Bartamaha (Addis Ababa):- Ethiopia handles 90 per cent of its import-export trade via the port of Djibouti. Nevertheless, the nation has also been looking for other options too including the port of Berbera.

The port of Berbera has capacity for over 800 thousand tons of cargo per year. However, the port is not operating with its full capacity due to various reasons.

According to Dr. Mohammed Amar, Somaliland foreign minister, the major reasons include lack of roads to the port and limited capacity to transit and transport cargo.

“The European Union has pledged to assist us in our efforts to making Berbera a favorite port,” the minister said. “The first thing we will do is construct a road connecting the port with the Togochale borderland to enable the government of Ethiopia and the country’s business community to use the port.”

Years have past since the two sides signed agreement on utilization of the port. Ethiopia has already constructed a road connecting the nation to Togochale.

According to Mekonnen Abera, Director General of the Maritime Affairs Authority, Ethiopia’s annual import-export transit over the port of Djibouti has reached over 9.2 million metric tons. “Our export trade has been expanding from time to time,” Mekonnen said. “We cannot manage it using only one corridor; we need other options.”

According to the Director General, the best option for northwestern Ethiopia is Port of Sudan and this is already being used to export sesame.

Using available port options would enable the nation to avoid unnecessary delay of goods at ports and minimize warehouse fee. In turn, this would help the nation save foreign currency and enables import-exporters to become internationally competitive.

Port of Djibouti will continue to play the leading role in transiting Ethiopia’s growing volume of international trade exchange.

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Source:- Wltainfo.

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