Ethiopia Seeks Port access in a Region of Ports

Ethiopia desperately seeks port access as both its economy and population grows. According to media reports (Aljazeera, 2023), Ethiopian prime minister offered a stake in Ethiopian airlines to Eritrea for access to the port of Massawa. The deal did not go through.

Ethiopia is now looking around and sees opportunity in multiple countries including Eritrea and Somalia. This is a timely opportunity for Somalia as it recovers from civil war. Somalia should work with Ethiopia and give Ethiopia access to one of her ports through mutually beneficial contract.

With such contract, Ethiopia’s growing population would get access to vital products. Somalia on the other hand, would collect fees from Ethiopia to boost its GDP and pay salary to her growing security forces including Somali National Army. As Somalia battles, Alshabaab, it needs to increase its army to at least 100 thousand by the end of the year 2024. Somalia would also work with Ethiopai to build intercountry roads and secure development money for many of its ports.

While granting port access to Ethiopia should be beneficial, Somalia must not allow Ethiopian navy on Somali seas. Ethiopia remains a historical foe of Somalia and the Somali people. The Somali people do not trust the Ethiopian empire and the empire itself tends to seek domination and conflict in the HOA rather than seeking for peaceful coexist with people of region. Ethiopia also continues to occupy Somali regional state denying the Somali people sovereignty over their land.