ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia— Ethiopia has renewed its push for sea access, calling it a national necessity tied to regional cooperation, economic growth and stability in the Horn of Africa, according to a new government-backed report presented in the capital.
The document, unveiled by senior officials and allied experts, argues that Ethiopia’s campaign to secure a seaport rests on international law, historical justice and principles of cooperative engagement with neighbors. Framing the issue as an urgent matter of state policy, the report says the country of more than 120 million people needs a maritime outlet to protect national interests, accelerate development and help stabilize a volatile region.
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Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s remarks, included in the report, describe Ethiopia’s demand for sea access as grounded in legal, historical, geographic and economic considerations. The report says diplomatic efforts will continue as Addis Ababa seeks a sustainable arrangement.
Officials aligned with the government cast the loss of Ethiopia’s coastline as a historical wrong that should be corrected through lawful, negotiated means. They urged domestic and international constituencies to back the policy, presenting maritime access as central to trade competitiveness, logistics resilience and long-term security.
Tilahun Tefera of the Ethiopian Political Studies Institute said the deprivation of a coastline constituted a historical injustice and called on scholars, media professionals, diplomats and the Ethiopian diaspora to support the seaport effort. The report positions their involvement as part of a broader mobilization to strengthen Ethiopia’s hand in regional diplomacy.
Gashaw Ayferam of the Institute of Foreign Affairs said the loss of direct sea access stemmed from external pressure and internal weakness. He characterized securing a maritime corridor as a nonnegotiable national priority, underscoring the government’s message that access to the sea is integral to Ethiopia’s strategic future.
While the report does not disclose specific modalities or timelines, it emphasizes a posture of diplomacy and cooperative arrangements with neighboring states. It stresses adherence to international legal frameworks and the pursuit of agreements designed to enhance regional stability rather than undermine it.
The latest statement consolidates Addis Ababa’s position at a time when economic imperatives and security risks remain intertwined across the Horn of Africa. By tying sea access to national development and regional peace, the government is signaling that the issue will remain at the forefront of its external agenda.
- Officials say sea access is a national necessity linked to growth, trade and stability.
- The campaign is framed as grounded in international law and historical justice.
- Prime Minister Abiy’s remarks in the report emphasize diplomatic pursuit of a seaport.
- Experts close to the government call for support from scholars, media, diplomats and the diaspora.
- Regaining a maritime corridor is described as a nonnegotiable priority for Addis Ababa.
The report’s authors and supporters say Ethiopia’s case balances national interests with commitments to legal norms and cooperative engagement, an approach they argue is essential to advancing both domestic development and regional stability.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
