Ethiopia is a key partner for Italy in Sub-Saharan Africa, an essential reference point for the stability of a region that has long-standing relations with our country and that today plays a crucial role in international security. The crises in the Red Sea and Middle East and the complex African migratory picture have made Ethiopia even more central in the international security context in recent years. Ethiopia aspires to play an important mediation role in some of the major conflict situations in the Horn of Africa, making it an indispensable partner in this region of the world.
Bilateral political relations are currently at the highest level. The return of the Axum stele (April 2005) opened a new chapter in relations between the two countries, followed by numerous high-level bilateral visits. In early 2024, Italy also returned to Ethiopia the Tsehai aircraft, the only one used by the Ethiopian Imperial Air Force in the early 1930s. Ethiopia and Italy also collaborate within the Intergovernmental Authority for Development-IGAD, a regional body in the Horn of Africa, where Italy plays an important role as co-chair of the Igad Partners Forum, which brings together donors to support IGAD’s work.
Beyond historical and geopolitical reasons that justify intense bilateral relations, there is now a concrete economic interest for Italy in Ethiopia. The sustained growth recorded by the country in recent years and the recent agreement with the International Monetary Fund for an ambitious programme of reforms, the low cost of labour, the size of the market (over 120 million people), the availability of domestic energy sources (hydroelectric) and direct air links with Italy represent the strong points on which to build more dynamic economic-commercial relations.