Djibouti, 30 September 2025 – Djibouti and Ethiopia have agreed on new measures to improve trade along their shared corridor, a vital gateway for Ethiopia’s imports and exports.
The commitments were announced at the second Djibouti–Ethiopia B2B Business Forum, which opened on Monday in Djibouti City, as part of a €32 million programme funded by the European Union.
Aynalem Abayneh, Vice President of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce, described the corridor as central to regional integration.
“The Ethiopia–Djibouti corridor is far more than a physical route linking the two countries. It is the lifeline of our regional integration, a bridge of cooperation that strengthens our people’s bond and future,” he said.
Representing the European Union, Gerald Hatler reaffirmed EU backing for the initiative.
“The goal is to transfer the corridor into a model for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, for climate-smart trade facilitation, for generating opportunity, inclusion, and shared transparency for the whole of Horn of Africa and beyond,” he said.
On his part, Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh, President of the Djibouti Chamber of Commerce, stressed the need for partnership.
“Together, let us make the Djibouti–Ethiopia partnership a lever of shared prosperity and an example of regional and continental cooperation,” he told delegates.
The Djibouti forum follows the first Business Boosting Conference held in Addis Ababa in January 2025, which initiated dialogue on the Ethio–Djibouti Corridor.
The Djibouti meeting has moved the agenda forward with concrete reforms, including commitments to digitise customs, harmonise regulations and strengthen private sector engagement.
The two-day event brought together government officials, chambers of commerce, logistics operators and development partners.
Discussions are focusing on regional integration, trade facilitation and the role of the private sector in shaping reforms, with the corridor seen as a model for economic cooperation in the Horn of Africa.