Ethiopia, Regional Integration and the COMESA Free Trade Area

This research paper analyzes the potential costs and benefits for Ethiopia of joining the COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA). It finds that Ethiopia's infant manufacturing sector is not yet competitive and that joining the FTA could increase net unemployment. However, it notes that Ethiopia is successfully expanding economic cooperation in energy and transport with neighbors such as Kenya, Sudan, Djibouti, and South Sudan, suggesting that bilateral relations may be more beneficial than formal trade liberalization.

• Joining the COMESA Free Trade Area (FTA) could lead to a net increase in unemployment in Ethiopia because job losses in some sectors would not be fully offset by employment gains in others.
• Ethiopia's manufacturing sector is currently too underdeveloped to compete within the COMESA FTA, as it cannot provide the region with high-quality goods at competitive prices.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2014). Ethiopia, Regional Integration and the COMESA Free Trade Area. https://saiia.org.za/research/ethiopia-regional-integration-and-the-comesa-free-trade-area/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Ethiopia, Regional Integration and the COMESA Free Trade Area. 2014. https://saiia.org.za/research/ethiopia-regional-integration-and-the-comesa-free-trade-area/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Ethiopia, Regional Integration and the COMESA Free Trade Area |date=20 August 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/ethiopia-regional-integration-and-the-comesa-free-trade-area/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2014ethiopia, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Ethiopia, Regional Integration and the COMESA Free Trade Area}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/ethiopia-regional-integration-and-the-comesa-free-trade-area/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }