Djibouti and Ethiopia agree to improve road and port services

Ethiopia and Djibouti have agreed to refine road services, port operations, and parking terminals, Fana reports, in a move geared towards improving the economy of the two Horn of Africa nations.

Berhanu Tsegaye, the Ethiopian Ambassador to Djibouti, held discussions with Aboubaker Omar Hadi, Chairman of Djibouti Ports International Free Trade Zone yesterday where major agreements were reached to hone the capacity of the road and port operation as well as parking terminals.

Ambassador Berhanu underscored the need to fast-track the completion of the Dikhil-Daguru Road, which would greatly contribute to the economic development of the two countries.

The two sides agreed on ways of commencing the remaining 80 km of the road in the shortest possible period.

The Ambassador and the Chairperson also exchanged views on ways of improving the capacity of port services by connecting the DMP (Doraleh Multi-Purpose Port) and SGTD (Djibouti Container Terminal) to the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway.

They have agreed to establish a connection at the Horizon oil terminal from the Djibouti side and the oil depot at Awash from the Ethiopian side to the Ethio-Djibouti railway, according to Foreign Affairs Ministry.

This, it was noted, will have various advantages in ensuring the efficient flow of oil cargo and the prevention of illegal oil marketing.

The Port and Free zone Authority also accepted the Ethiopian government’s request for a Title Deed to the oil terminal to set in place an administrative procedure similar to that of the dry parking terminal.

The chairman promised to grant the title deed to the Ethiopian side as soon as possible. Ethiopia is a landlocked nation and depends on the neighboring nations especially Djibouti for exports and imports.

GAROWE ONLINE