East African Infrastructure Development, Part 3: Ethiopian Surface Transport

Editor's Note: This is a four-part series on the development of transport infrastructure in East Africa as the region looks to expand its economy and increase international trade as it becomes a seemingly attractive destination for low-end manufacturing. Part 3 examines Ethiopia's plans to update and expand its rail and road networks to provide better access to ports and to other countries. Read more in Part 1 and Part 2.

While Ethiopia is a relatively large economy in East Africa, it is not as connected to the rest of the region as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and other countries in the Great Lakes region are. The country's surface transport infrastructure is focused on sustaining internal economic activity, and even this has been limited as economic development has been concentrated in the center of the country. However, attempts are underway to better connect Ethiopia to other East African markets and to global export markets. Geography has led landlocked Ethiopia to focus primarily on infrastructure connecting it to seaports for imports and exports, however, potential investment in mining and in the development of a manufacturing sector within Ethiopia makes more efficient and cheaper internal transport options a high priority.