In the long term it will achieved a lot and goods from Somalia will slowly decline. This is what I support.
The Ethiopian government and SL agreed to upgrade people-to-people contacts, aviation and speed up the planned Berbera corridor. Things are gaining momentum but for me the much awaited cargo will begin.
The cargo business is great opportunity and it should be based on two phases; Berbera-to-Ethiopia and Ethiopian goods to SL markets. The key demand is agricultural goods including fruits and vegetables. Ethiopia has much bigger volume and more premium products than Somalia. Somaliland should import her veggie and fruits needs from Hawassa.
Currently the Ethiopian government is constructing an airport for Hawassa thus in matter of 2-3 years, it will be possible to fly goods from Hawassa directly to Hargeisa before the city wakes up to get their fresh produce.
SomalilandPress-Somaliland Civil Aviation and Air Transport Mr. Mohammed Hashi Abdi met with the Ethiopian State Minister Ambassador Berhane Gebre-Christos on Tuesday , this week in Addis Abba , Ethiopian Capital.
The two officials discussed relations between Ethiopia and Somaliland, as well as aviation links, peace and security, and trade and business.
Also on the agenda were Ethiopian Airlines cooperation with Somaliland, working together to alleviate terrorism and development cooperation in the Berbera corridor as well as encouraging people-to-people and government-to-government relations.
Ethiopian Airlines, among the three biggest airlines on the subcontinent, is “very confident” that volumes of passengers and goods via Somaliland will rise, and intends to start a joint venture to develop cargo flights to serve goods transiting the port.
The Ethiopian state Minister Ambassador Berhane noted that Ethiopia was committed to broaden its relationships over peace, security, development and tourism. He congratulated Somaliland on the progress it was achieving and said Ethiopia was committed to broaden cooperation over air transport, tourism and related sectors. He also suggested cooperation in the Berbera corridor could be strengthened.
Mr. Hashi said Somaliland appreciated Ethiopia’s role in peace and stability and development in the region. He stressed the importance of Ethiopia’s support to Somaliland and hoped that diplomatic and other relations between Somaliland and Ethiopia could be strengthened. He added that Ethiopia’s cooperation in poverty alleviation and in fighting Al- Shabaab was of significant importance.
Somaliland hopes to become the new gateway for landlocked Ethiopia’s 92m people, developing connections by road, rail, air and sea in a nation at the meeting point of the African and Arab worlds.
International financial institutions have in the past counseled Ethiopia to develop transport routes through Somaliland to “diversify Ethiopia’s options and thus improve its negotiating power with transit corridors.
