The joining process began 16 years ago, but is now moving forward at a good pace and could be concluded in a positive way for the country in 2021, said the Office’s senior policy advisor and chief trade negotiator, Mamo Mihretu.
During an exchange held in January with the organization’s member countries, the expert explained, we presented the characteristics and potentialities of our trade and investment regime, which is in keeping with WTO requirements and regulations.
We also had achievements through trade negotiations with eight countries in Geneva, another solid step in this process, so we believe there will be no major obstacles for Ethiopia’s entry into the multilateral trade system, he said.
The main issue when dealing with bilateral negotiations, he said, is the tariff on our commercial goods and the type of investment or service sector open to foreign capital, and in that respect the government has made significant progress.
For us, concluding the entry into the body is fundamental, because it is like an external anchor for our internal reform efforts, it is a natural result of the national economic transformation program that the government is currently carrying out, he stressed.
We trust that it will have a positive impact because it will promote access of Ethiopian entrepreneurs to the external market, transform Ethiopia’s investment environment and dynamics, modernize trade regulations, and finally attract foreign direct investment.
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