Dire Dawa Dry Port Handling More Than 150 Trucks Daily

Addis Ababa (ENA) December 20/2022 The modern dry port built to facilitate the activities of the Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone has already begun handling of more than 150 trucks on daily basis, according to the Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Service Enterprise (ESLSE).

It is to be recalled that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had inaugurated last August the Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone, which is believed to improve Ethiopia’s economy by boosting the import and export trade of the country. 

Chief Executive Officer of ESLSE, Roba Megersa told ENA the Free Trade Zone is a platform that can help bring suppliers and customers together.

He said as one of the services provided inside the free trade zone is logistics and the government has built a state of the art dry port with a view to realizing this objective.  

With this, there will be logistics infrastructure facilities to provide free trade services in the Free Trade Zone, he added.  

Moreover, he elaborated that that the Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone will not only make it possible to get logistics services nearby, but also generate foreign currency and create job opportunities.

The members of the business community should join market and operate in cooperation and coordination , he stressed.

The CEO indicated that the Dire Dawa dry port, which is the first of its kind in Ethiopia, will help the Free Trade Zone achieve its goals.

With this, the dry port has been providing streamlined logistics services by handling up to 150 trucks per day since its inception.

He said that Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Service Enterprise is modernizing the logistics sector and intensifying efforts that will enable it to be internationally competitive.

The Free Trade Zone is also aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as well as realizing regional integration.

Logistics time and cost reduction, efficiency, growth in trade competitiveness, attracting FDI, impact on urbanization and industrialization, and boosting the entire economy are among the benefits to be attained from Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone, it was learned.