Ethiopia advances WTO membership as gov’t announces ‘successful’ fifth-round negotiations

Addis Abeba – Ethiopia has announced positive outcomes from the recently concluded fifth round of negotiations, advancing the government’s plan to complete its World Trade Organization (WTO) accession process by March 2026.

In a press conference on 24 March, 2025, Kassahun Gofe, Ethiopia’s chief negotiator and minister of Trade and Regional Integration, detailed the progress made during the negotiations. He noted a significant reduction in the number of inquiries from WTO member states.

“In the fourth round of negotiations in 2020, some 181 questions were presented to Ethiopia,” he said. “This figure has now decreased to 110, which signifies substantial progress.”

The minister stated that Ethiopia will provide comprehensive written responses by May 2025.

The announcement follows Ethiopia’s participation in the 5th WTO Working Group Summit held in Geneva, Switzerland, late last week. Kassahun led the Ethiopian delegation, which included senior government officials.

In yesterday’s briefing, Kassahun also revealed that Ethiopia has begun bilateral market access negotiations with 12 out of 17 countries, including major players such as the United States and the European Union, adhering to a principle of mutual exchange. He highlighted that 19 countries, along with the World Bank, expressed strong support for Ethiopia’s accession, which he described as “exceeding a level of normal endorsement and expectations.”

The next round of negotiations is set for July 2025.

“The government has established a structured process, with a 35-member technical committee conducting weekly reviews and a negotiating team conducting bi-weekly reviews,” explained Kassahun.

Ethiopia has been pursuing WTO accession since 1999 and held observer status since 2003. After an eight-year hiatus, Ethiopia renewed its efforts to join the WTO in January 2020. AS

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