Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro has acknowledged Ethiopia’s need for access to the sea, emphasizing Somaliland’s readiness to deepen economic and security cooperation with landlocked Ethiopia.
Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Abdirahman Irro said Somaliland and Ethiopia share “a very good, friendly and cordial relationship,” noting that cooperation between the two sides spans trade, logistics and security partnerships.
He stated that Somaliland is keen to expand trade ties with Ethiopia, stressing the strategic importance of diversified port access for Africa’s second-most populous country.
“We believe Ethiopia needs more ports to use because it’s a country with a fast-growing population,” Irro said.
The Somaliland leader added that Ethiopia’s options for maritime access are not limited to a single corridor.
“It can use Djibouti, it can use Berbera, and it still needs more ports,” he said, emphasizing the need for multiple routes to support Ethiopia’s expanding economy.
Irro outlined several potential areas of cooperation with Ethiopia, including logistics infrastructure, commercial ports, transport corridors, railways, and related services, saying Somaliland is ready to engage in discussions on these sectors. He framed the partnership as part of a broader regional vision aimed at providing services to landlocked African countries.
President Irro is the successor to Somaliland’s previous president in Hargeisa, Muse Bihi Abdi, under whose administration Ethiopia signed a controversial memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland.
The MOU went beyond commercial port access and included provisions for a long-term naval facility under a 50-year lease. Progress on the MoU has since stalled, largely due to strong diplomatic opposition from Somalia, which considers Somaliland part of its sovereign territory.
In return Ethiopia aimed to recognize Somaliland as a country, though that has not materialized. During Irro’s term, Israel became the first country to formally give recognition to Somaliland, marking a shift in Somaliland’s external relations. The Ethiopian-Somaliland MoU, signed around the period of Irro’s presidential run, has not progressed since he assumed office.
Irro’s remarks are a positive signal for Ethiopia, a landlocked country of over 110 million people with a rapidly growing economy that has been actively seeking to diversify its maritime access.
