WTO Director-General Praises Ethiopia’s Progress in Accession Talks

Geneva: World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has commended Ethiopia for making strong progress in its negotiations to join the global trade body. Presenting the 2025 Annual Report on WTO Accessions to the WTO General Council on Thursday, Okonjo-Iweala highlighted Ethiopia's significant advances during 2025 in both bilateral and multilateral negotiation tracks. She also welcomed the country's commitment to finalize its accession process by 2026.According to Ethiopian News Agency, the WTO chief encouraged member states to consider Ethiopia's accession as a potential deliverable following the upcoming 14th WTO Ministerial Conference. Okonjo-Iweala noted that two full Working Party cycles on Ethiopia's accession were completed in 2025, helping sustain strong momentum in the negotiation process.By early 2026, Ethiopia had successfully concluded bilateral market-access negotiations with seven WTO member countries. Progress has also been recorded on the multilateral front, it was indicat ed. Ethiopia's accession base document has advanced from the 'Elements of a Draft Working Party Report' to a full Draft Working Party Report, marking an important milestone that signals the country's entry into the final phase of negotiations.The Director-General emphasized that the progress reflects strong national leadership and ongoing economic reforms, aimed at deepening Ethiopia's integration into the global trading system. Speaking during the same meeting, Ambassador Negus Kebede, Minister Plenipotentiary in charge of WTO Affairs at Ethiopia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, reaffirmed Ethiopia's commitment to completing the accession process and fully joining the multilateral trading system.Ethiopia is currently preparing for the Seventh Working Party Meeting on its accession, scheduled for 22-23 April 2026, which is expected to further advance the country's path toward WTO membership.