Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone will become fully operational in the coming two months. The zone has also announced that it had made preparations to welcome investors who would build hotels, apartments, and warehouses.
Dire Dawa, is on track to become a major industrial and commercial center, according to the Trade, Industry, and Investment Bureau of the city.
Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) disclosed upgrade work for the Dire Dawa – Dewele road has been started and it is expected to cost the Authority 3.9 Billion Birr.
Three companies which were engaged in automotive assembly, bottled water production, and food manufacturing were inaugurated last week.
The automotive assembly factory was launched in Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone on Saturday in the presence of the Mayor of Dire Dawa City, Kedir Juhar, and CEO of Industrial Parks Development Corporation, Sandoukan Debebe. EL Auto Engineering built the plant with more than Birr 700 million. It is reported that the factory has the capacity to assemble 20 cars per day.
Djibouti threw a curveball at Ethiopia's plan to expand multimodal transport options. Djibouti banned non-vessel operators (NVOCCs) from acting as multimodal operators, despite Ethiopia approving three new companies for the role. Djibouti worries NVOCCs cannot guarantee logistics costs or ensure cargo safety.
