Sea access row: Zemedeneh Negatu’s remarks trigger Djibouti response

In a recent interview with Gazette Plus, Zemedeneh Negatu, who leads CBE Capital, a newly established investment bank structured as a joint venture between the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (the majority stakeholder) and Dallol Capital, made remarks about Ethiopia’s evolving economic strategy that quickly stirred controversy, prompting a response from Djibouti and reigniting debate over Ethiopia’s long-standing push for sea access.

In the interview, Negatu argued that Ethiopia’s lack of sea access is neither “fair” nor “legal,” framing it as a “big historical mistake” that continues to undermine the country’s economic potential. He also made controversial comparisons, referring to neighboring countries such as Djibouti and Somalia as “small countries,” while suggesting that Ethiopia, given its size and economic weight, should play a greater role in developing and managing regional ports.

These remarks triggered an immediate and forceful response from Djibouti, which has long served as Ethiopia’s primary maritime gateway. In a post on his official X account addressing the interview, Djibouti’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Ilyas M. Dawaleh, described the criticism as “deeply misleading” and “detached from the facts.”

“After Ethiopia lost direct access to the sea, Djibouti did not merely provide an alternative,” Dawaleh said, adding that “Djibouti built the entire logistics backbone that enabled Ethiopia’s economic transformation.”

Djibouti currently handles the vast majority of Ethiopia’s imports and exports, a role that officials say required extensive long-term investment and strategic planning. Dawaleh pointed to more than $10 billion invested in infrastructure, including deep-sea ports, specialized terminals, an electrified railway linking Addis Ababa to Djibouti, and integrated logistics corridors designed to support regional trade.

“This is not inefficiency,” the statement emphasized. “This is strategic infrastructure built at scale, serving not only Ethiopia but also global trade and regional integration.”

Addressing concerns over the cost of port services, Dawaleh called for a “transparent, fact-based debate with open books and verifiable data,” arguing that closer scrutiny would reinforce Djibouti’s value rather than undermine it. “Djibouti is not a burden,” the minister stated. “Djibouti is—and has been—a strategic multiplier for Ethiopia.”

The exchange highlights a broader and increasingly assertive push by Ethiopian officials to secure access to the sea, an issue that has evolved from a historical grievance into a central pillar of Ethiopia’s political and economic agenda.

Since coming to power, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has consistently framed Ethiopia’s lack of sea access as a critical national challenge. He has described the country’s loss of coastline following Eritrea’s independence in 1993 as a “historical mistake,” arguing that it continues to constrain economic development.

In recent years, this rhetoric has intensified, signaling a shift toward a more assertive regional posture. In 2024, Ethiopia signed a controversial memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, triggering a major diplomatic crisis with Somalia. Mogadishu condemned the agreement as an “invasion” and an attempt to advance an “Ethiopian expansionist agenda,” leading to a year-long diplomatic standoff.

The crisis was eventually defused through mediation by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose intervention helped broker a temporary understanding. However, while immediate tensions subsided, the underlying issue of Ethiopia’s ambitions for sea access remained unresolved.

By 2025, Ethiopia’s attention appeared to shift toward Assab Port in Eritrea, a strategic Red Sea port. This development alarmed the Eritrean government and revived fears of renewed conflict between the two historically adversarial states.

At the same time, regional actors have signaled openness to more cooperative arrangements. Djibouti has indicated that it has offered Ethiopia commercial access, while maintaining its central role as a logistics hub. Similarly, following the Ankara Declaration, Somalia has made clear that it is willing to grant Ethiopia commercial access within a framework that respects its sovereignty.

Ethiopia’s persistent rhetoric, evolving strategic priorities, and increasingly assertive economic arguments collectively signal a broader transformation in its regional posture. This shift reflects a more confident and outward-looking stance, one that has at times unsettled its neighbours. The recent remarks by Negatu, followed by Dawaleh’s response, illustrate not only Ethiopia’s continued determination to secure sea access but also the growing perception among neighbouring states that this pursuit is becoming increasingly forceful, and, in some cases, “overtly confrontational.”