Agenda of Ethiopia’s accession to the Red Sea should be shared by neighboring countries to maximize diversification and competitiveness of their economies, advised Captain Tefera Bedassa.
Considering the country's rapid economic growth, population increase and internal and external pressures have intensified the country’s demand for sea outlet.
According to captain, who served his country as mariner for over three decades, said maritime is a major sector that has a significant contribution to the economic growth of a given country.
Singapore, China, Philippines and India are the exemplary countries using sea and maritime services, he mentioned.
Although Ethiopia is now classified as one of the landlocked countries, Cap. Tefera regretted, it was historically a country with a sea of vast coastal area.
Over the past before 1991, Ethiopia owned Ports of Assab and Massawa.
According to him, the maritime trade of developing countries and works underway on expanding and ensuring use of alternative ports should be strengthened, ENA reported.
Besides shipping and transporting goods, sea ports play a vital role in strengthening the diplomatic and economic relations with other countries, he implied.