Ethiopia’s Quest for Access to Sea Crucial Driver for Regional Growth

By Staff Writer

Addis Ababa, December 5, 2025—Resolving Ethiopia’s long-standing demand for access to sea is indispensable for strengthening regional cooperation and accelerating shared economic growth, scholars noted.

Ethiopia's quest for access to sea is widely recognized as a fundamental national priority, which that is essential for safeguarding the country's national interests, fueling economic development, and ensuring geopolitical stability, peace, and security across the region.

The quest for maritime outlet is also firmly anchored in international law, historical precedent, and geopolitical principles.

Emphasized as a highly rational claim, its core objective is to correct the historical injustice and establish a solution founded on the principle of mutual benefit and reciprocity.

Historical records bear witness to Ethiopia's past glory as a major power that commanded an extensive coastline, including a significant presence in the Red Sea region, and even maintained  own naval force.

This demand for access to sea from a nation with such a significant history is not a sudden whim, but a matter of national survival rooted in genuine historical principle.

The current request, consistent with both historical fact and international legislation, aims to repair this historical fracture and secure both national dignity and critical interests.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in his recent address to the House of People's Representatives,  stressed that Ethiopia’s Red Sea demand is legally, historically, geographically, and economically sound.

This necessity is amplified by the country’s rapid economic expansion and its massive population, which now exceeds 120 million.

Ethiopia has consistently demonstrated its commitment to peaceful, diplomatic negotiation, repeatedly clarifying its willingness to engage under the framework of international law and the principle of mutual gain.

PM Abiy confirmed that the multifaceted efforts to reclaim the maritime access lost three decades ago due to conspiracy will continue unabated.

Tilahun Tefera, a lead researcher at the Ethiopian Policy Study Institute (PSI), pointed to the historical injustice that stripped Ethiopia of its sovereign sea access.

He called upon scholars, diplomats, media professionals, and the diaspora to vigorously advocate for the nation’s maritime aspirations and national interests.

Stressing that sea access is fundamentally a matter of national sovereignty, the lead researcher underscored the need to intensify diplomatic efforts to achieve a successful resolution.

He also highlighted that the PSI is conducting continuous research into the geopolitical, social, and economic justifications for the demand.

Given Ethiopia's immense economic capacity and large population, he concluded that securing a maritime outlet will make a profound contribution to regional growth, peace, and security.

Similarly, Gashaw Ayferam, a researcher in African Affairs at the Institute of Foreign Affairs, characterized the loss of Ethiopia’s sea access as an unjust historical wrong that resulted from a combination of internal weaknesses and external pressures.

He reiterated that the demand for a maritime outlet is a crucial national agenda that will facilitate regional geopolitical and economic advancement, foster cooperation in peace and security, and ultimately serve to mend a significant historical fracture.