The International and regional Trade Integration Chef Executing is a division in the ministry of trade and regional integrations. It is established to undertake the ministry’s mandate of establishing foreign trade relation, concluding trade agreements and following their implementation. The division works on Multilateral, Regional and Bilateral trade integrations of the country, accession of the country to world trade organization, negotiation and implementation of AfCFTA and other regional integrations, and supervising the implementation of twenty bilateral agreements that the country is a party to.
Modernizing trade to create a transparent and accessible market where competition prevails, building a trade system by strengthening regional integrations, promoting, increasing export and making sure that consumer, private sector and the country benefits from developing standards and controlling their implementation
In collaboration with relevant organs, establish foreign trade relations, sign trade agreements in accordance with the law and implement the same upon approval. The division also initiates and develops national policies, strategies and laws on regional and international integrations expand market access for the domestic traders by engaging in regional and multilateral trade negotiations and enhance trade integration with neighboring countries.
As per the proclamation no1263/2021 a proclamation issued to define and limit the power of the executive organ, the ministry is responsible to establish foreign trade relations, conclude trade agreements and follow up their implementation. The ministry has maintained these duties starting from its previous structure as ministry of trade and industry. Ethiopia’s bilateral trade relations, regional integrations and its accession to WTO have been established and negotiated under its continuous structural reform and naming.
Since Ethiopia is not a member to COMESAs free trade agreement it only trade under 10% tariff reductions with the rest of the COMESA member countries. Several works have been done to join the free trade area but Ethiopia’s membership under COMESA free trade area is yet to happen.
As per the relevant laws the ministry have been coordinating and facilitating the negotiation at the national level. It has continued its role of coordinating in the implementation phase as well. Even though the agreement is the first free agreement for Ethiopia to join and implement, there exists lack of experience in the area. The ministry is working to resolve the challenges and facilitate implementation by cooperating with different development partners. A major recent development on Ethiopian side on the implementation is the submission of tariff concession to the secretariat.
Ethiopia’s accession process to the WTO is led under the ministry’s coordination role. All the necessary negotiation documents including question from the working party and memorandum of foreign trade regime are revised and compiled by the ministry in consultation with all the relevant ministries and agencies. The ministry has also led several working party meetings for Ethiopia’s accession. Ethiopia is yet to conclude its accession to the WTO a recent development towards it is that a fifth round of working party meeting is expected to happen in the coming year.
