# Ethiopia port push raises regional stakes

> Horn Diplomat on 2023-11-09 reported Ethiopia's renewed quest for Red Sea access, raising questions for Horn of Africa port developers.

- By: Editorial Team, Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com/about)
- Published: 30 September 2026
- Format: News story (reported from one named public source)
- Publication: Somali Construction Review (https://somaliconstructionreview.com)
- Subject: Business and Costs
- Tags: ports, underbidding
- Web version: https://somaliconstructionreview.com/blog/ethiopia-port-push-regional-stakes

## Key points

- On 9 November 2023, Horn Diplomat reported that Ethiopia's push for Red Sea access is driven by high Djibouti port fees and a growing population.
- The report does not establish that Ethiopia has started a war or secured a new port deal since that date.
- Somali port developers should monitor Ethiopia's engagement with Lamu and the refusals from Djibouti, Somalia and Eritrea.

On 9 November 2023, Horn Diplomat reported that landlocked Ethiopia's renewed push for Red Sea access could reshape competition among Horn of Africa ports. The report does not establish that Ethiopia has started a war over ports since that date, nor that any port deal has been reached with Eritrea, Djibouti or Somalia.

Ethiopia has been landlocked since Eritrea gained independence in 1991, leaving the Assab port that had serviced Ethiopia for decades under Eritrean control, Horn Diplomat reported. Access to ports has since become a major talking point in Ethiopia.

Djibouti charges Ethiopia over a billion dollars annually in port fees, the report said. Ethiopia's population is 119 million, and nearly a fifth is dependent on food aid, Horn Diplomat stated. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed cited a projected population of 150 million by 2030 in his October 13 address on the port issue.

According to Horn Diplomat, local media reports from July asserted that Abiy told a private gathering of local businessmen that the option of military force remained on the table. But on October 26, Abiy denied reports that his government was planning to wage war to gain sea access. He said during festivities marking the 116th anniversary of the Ethiopian army that "Our army has never taken the initiative to invade another country in its history, and we won’t start now," as quoted by Horn Diplomat.

Horn Diplomat reported that Ethiopian officials visited Kenya's Lamu port for discussions in August, but it did not specify the year or outcome. Representatives of Djibouti, Somalia and Eritrea have issued statements confirming their refusals to discuss a port deal that bargains with territorial sovereignty, the report said.

Abiy cited demographic ties and maps dating back to the third-century kingdom of Aksum to invoke Ethiopian territorial claims to Red Sea ports in Eritrean territory, Horn Diplomat stated. He called Red Sea access "an existential issue." A 2002 international boundary commission ruling adjudged the contested Badme territory to be Eritrean, and treaty maps from the early 20th century place the ports of Assab and Massawa in modern-day Eritrea, the report added.

Ethiopia's ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund aim to secure billions in loans, Horn Diplomat reported. Addisu Lashitew, a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institute, told Al Jazeera that the prime minister's remarks are "a smokescreen to distract a populace reeling from the combined effects of simmering conflicts, displacement, and hunger." Etana Habte, assistant professor of history at James Madison University, said the quest for Red Sea access has been a tool of political mobilisation in Ethiopia's nationalist camp for three decades.

Horn Diplomat's report leaves open whether Ethiopia's port strategy will lead to new investment or conflict. For Somali port developers, the key uncertainties are Ethiopia's engagement with Lamu and the hardening positions of Djibouti, Somalia and Eritrea.

## Questions

### What ports is Ethiopia currently using?

Horn Diplomat reported that Ethiopia relies on Djibouti's ports, paying over a billion dollars annually in fees, though the currency was not specified.

### Which Somali ports could benefit or face competition from Ethiopia's plans?

The report does not name specific Somali ports, but it says representatives of Somalia have refused to discuss a port deal that bargains with territorial sovereignty.

### What investment or construction activity has resulted from Ethiopia's port strategy?

Horn Diplomat reported that Ethiopian officials visited Kenya's Lamu port for discussions in August, but the report does not state any resulting investment or construction.

## Sources

- [Is landlocked Ethiopia starting another war over ports in Horn of Africa?](https://www.horndiplomat.com/is-landlocked-ethiopia-starting-another-war-over-ports-in-horn-of-africa/) — Horn Diplomat, 2023-11-09