Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone Ready for Next Steps

Aug 13 , 2022


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The Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) has announced it has finalised preparations to transform Dire Dawa Industrial Park into the country's first free trade zone (FTZ). The announcement comes a month after officials at the Ministry of Transport & Logistics chose the Park as the first of several FTZs and special economic zones the government plans to establish. Officials say they selected Dire Dawa due to its proximity to ports, market potential, and suitability for multimodal transportation and logistics operations. The Park lies on 150hct of land 445Km east of Addis Abeba. It opened in 2018 with 15 factory sheds housing textile and apparel manufacturers from China, Italy and Sri Lanka as well as domestic firms. The IPDC oversees 13 industrial parks.


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