Ethiopia Accelerates WTO Accession Push with New Reform Commitments,
Talks Enter “Decisive Juncture”
Speaking at a meeting of the Working Party
on Ethiopia's accession to the WTO held on 22 and 23 April, Ethiopia's Minister
of Trade and Regional Integration and Chief Trade Negotiator, Kassahun Gofe Balami,
informed members of several key decisions taken by the Ethiopian Government in response
to members' requests. He reported that the negotiations have "reached a decisive
juncture" and reiterated Ethiopia's commitment to engage constructively and
substantively to advance and finalize the accession process.
·
Accession talks reach critical phase: Ethiopia told WTO members negotiations
have entered a “decisive juncture,” signaling momentum
in its 23-year accession process.
o Foreign exchange reforms
o Customs valuation reforms
o Removal of other duties and charges
o Elimination of WTO-inconsistent import restrictions
and fees
o Trade facilitation improvements
o Intellectual property regulation reforms
·
Shift from promises to implementation: Trade Minister Kassahun Gofe Balami emphasized
Ethiopia is now implementing reforms, not merely pledging them, underscoring commitment
to a more open economy.
·
Development-linked accession strategy: Ethiopia framed WTO membership as a tool
for sustainable development, structural transformation, and market-oriented reform
while balancing macroeconomic stability.
·
WTO leadership backs progress: WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen
Zhang praised Ethiopia’s sustained engagement and said reforms are already showing
tangible economic benefits.
·
Members welcome transparency and reform pace: WTO members supported Ethiopia’s progress,
encouraged continued reforms, and welcomed regular updates.
·
Recognition for legislative transparency: Working Party Chair Rebecca Fisher-Lamb
highlighted Ethiopia’s submission of over 400 pieces of legislation as evidence
of strong transparency and reform seriousness.
·
2025 described as transformative year: The Chair called 2025 a landmark year in
Ethiopia’s accession journey and urged all parties to maintain momentum.
·
Focus shifts to final negotiations: Next steps include intensifying bilateral
market access talks, concluding agreements ideally before the summer break, and
revising the Draft Working Party Report.
·
Timeline ahead: Members will submit comments by 21 May, with a possible next Working Party
meeting after the summer break, depending on negotiation progress.
·
Seventh Working Party meeting held: The 22–23 April meeting marked the 7th
Working Party session since Ethiopia began accession negotiations.
[ABS News Service/28.04.2026]
Led by Minister Kassahun, the high-level
Ethiopian delegation consisted of senior government officials based in Geneva and
Addis Ababa, including five members of Ethiopia's National Steering Committee on
WTO Accession.
Minister Kassahun updated the Working Party
on recent decisions taken by the Ethiopian Government on a number of trade-related
measures in response to members' concerns, including advancing foreign exchange
and customs valuation reforms, the removal of other duties and charges, elimination
of WTO-inconsistent quantitative import restrictions and fees, advances on trade
facilitation measures and regulation of intellectual property, among other things.
Minister Kassahun stressed that the continued
reforms undertaken by the government demonstrate Ethiopia's "unwavering commitment
to opening its economy". He said: "Ethiopia is no longer speaking in terms
of a promised reform - we are implementing it. Accession is a means to an end. The
rules and commitments we negotiate are tools to support the high objective of sustainable
development of our people and the structural transformation of our economy."
Ethiopia is "upholding its collective
engagement and stands ready to assume the obligations under WTO membership and to
accommodate members' requests to the maximum extent consistent with our reform capacity
and macroeconomic stability," he added.
Minister Kassahun also expressed his gratitude
to members for recognizing Ethiopia's accession progress during the 14th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) held from 26 to 30 March in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
His statement is available here.
WTO Deputy Director-General Xiangchen Zhang commended Ethiopia for the "commitment,
focus and sustained engagement with members" and for the progress made in both
the market access and rules negotiations. Emphasizing the "well-deserved recognition
of Ethiopia's accession efforts" at MC14, he stressed that Ethiopia's economic
reform agenda is paving the way for a "transformation path towards a more open
and market-oriented economy, where economic indicators already point at tangible
benefits." DDG Zhang called for parties to "continue engaging to narrow
remaining gaps and identify a clear path forward."
WTO members welcomed Ethiopia's latest progress
in the accession process and reiterated their commitment to a constructive engagement
and support to advance its accession. They encouraged Ethiopia to continue implementing
the reforms and provide regular updates to the Working Party.
The Working Party Chair, Rebecca Fisher-Lamb
(United Kingdom), said it was a "highly productive meeting" with "quality
exchanges", bringing better understanding and appreciation of various aspects
of Ethiopia's trade policy regime and ongoing reforms. Commending Ethiopia for "championing
transparency" by submitting over 400 pieces of legislation, she stressed that
the government's further clarifications on members' requests show the positive scale
at which Ethiopia is moving to make the changes required to join the Organization.
Stressing that 2025 was a "transformative year in Ethiopia's 23-year accession
journey," she urged Ethiopia and members to "keep up the pace of work,
which reflects Ethiopia's ambition in its reform-driven accession."
Next steps
Ms Fisher-Lamb encouraged Ethiopia and WTO
members to "intensify engagement" and finalize remaining bilateral market
access negotiations and sign agreements as soon as possible, ideally by the summer
break.
Members were invited to submit written questions
and comments by 21 May as part of the multilateral negotiations. The WTO Secretariat
was mandated to revise and streamline the Draft Working Party Report. Ethiopia was
invited to continue updating the Working Party on its legislative developments.
The next Working Party meeting could be
scheduled after the summer break, contingent upon progress made in the accession
negotiations.
This was the 7th meeting of the Working
Party. The 6th meeting took place in September 2025.