Ethiopia Intensifies WTO Accession Efforts, Seeks Flexibility in Talks with Saudi Arabia

Addis Ababa, March 25, 2026 (ENA) —Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia have reaffirmed their commitment to further accelerate ways to boost trade cooperation between the two countries as Ethiopia has stepped up its bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO).

On the sidelines of the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Minister of Trade and Regional Integration Kassahun Gofe, met with Farid Al-Asaly, Deputy Governor for International Agreements and Organizations and Head of Saudi Arabia’s WTO Negotiation Team.

 

Officials described the meeting as a productive and forward-looking engagement on Ethiopia’s accession process.

During the talks, Minister Kassahun reaffirmed Ethiopia’s firm commitment to concluding its WTO accession negotiations by 2026.

He emphasized the country’s readiness to expand bilateral market access with Saudi Arabia, highlighting the strong and longstanding relations between the two nations.

On the sensitive issue of goods and services negotiations, the minister called on Saudi Arabia to exercise pragmatic flexibility, taking into account Ethiopia’s unique economic circumstances and the special treatment provisions granted to Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

 

Ethiopia is now approaching a decisive phase in its long-running accession process to the World Trade Organization, after nearly two decades of bilateral and multilateral negotiations aimed at integrating the country into the global trading system.

As of early 2026, Ethiopia has successfully concluded bilateral market access agreements with seven WTO member states, while also making steady progress on the multilateral track, according to officials.

Recent developments point to renewed momentum, with Addis Ababa accelerating reforms to align its trade regime, regulatory frameworks, and economic policies with international standards.

 

The Yaoundé sidelines  meeting concluded with a concrete breakthrough, as both sides agreed to fast-track technical negotiations to finalize a bilateral market access agreement ahead of the WTO Working Group meeting scheduled for April in Geneva.