Ethiopia Plans to Build At Least 35 More Dry Ports, with Jimma and Jigjiga Ports Set to Be Built Shortly

The state-owned Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Services Enterprise (ESLSE) plans to build a new dry port and terminal in Jimma City.

According to the Ethiopian Monitor News Agency, the enterprise announced on Friday a plan to build Ethiopia’s ninth dry port that is expected to play an important role in facilitating import and export trade in western Ethiopia.

“It will have a big impact in providing logistic service to export fresh agricultural commodities to the international market quickly,” ESLSE said in a statement. The port will be built alongside a major road that connects the districts of Jimma and Bonga in the Southwest Ethiopian People’s Region. It will be built on a 20-hectare plot of land between both the Jimma Industrial Park and the city’s airport.

Jima port once constructed would allow efficient trade and transfer of agricultural goods, fruits and vegetables to and from Jima and Berbera port.

Its officials expect to receive the plot soon and start building Ethiopia’s ninth dry port there. These facilities have a combined capacity of hosting over 25,000 containers at a time and handling most of the country’s exports.

8 Major Ports in Ethiopia: Marine Insight

Modjo Dry port

Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, is 75 kilometers away. This port can handle and store 14,500 containers at once, and it receives approximately 75% to 78 percent of the country’s imports, which are then transported to other major Ethiopian cities. The dry port receives between 1000 and 1500 containers every 24 hours. The dry port has a total area of 150 hectares, with approximately 32 hectares dedicated to containerized cargo, as well as parking for heavy vehicles such as trucks and a variety of operational services.

Semera Dry Port

The Semera Port, located approximately 558 kilometers from the capital city, became operational in 2010. The port is strategically located just 270 kilometers from the port of Djibouti. It spans 160 hectares, with 3 hectares devoted to container terminal services like temporary container storage.

Semera Port can handle about 1185 TEU of containerized cargo at once and its annual handling capacity of containers has increased to 2380 TEUs approximately.

Kallity Dry port

It is one of Ethiopia’s most important dry ports. It was recently designated as a dry port in 2014 to facilitate the distribution of goods in Ethiopian cities. The port handles approximately 19,858 TEU.

Dire Dawa Dry Port

The Dire Dawa Port now covers 34 hectares and includes, among other things, a container terminal, a large warehouse, administrative offices and spaces, and direct railway connections. The port’s handling capacity is estimated to be 10,000 containers, an increase of eightfold over its previous capacity.

Kombolcha Dry Port

It was constructed in 2013 and covers 15 hectares, with approximately 5 hectares dedicated to container handling. It has a capacity of 4900 TEUs. However, due to its distance from the newly constructed railway line and the Kombolcha industrial park, Ethiopia’s government decided in 2019 to relocate and expand the old Kombalcha dry port. The new port, which will span 35 hectares and handle 10,000 containers, is expected to be completed in two years.

Woreta Dry Port

It is a recently constructed dry port in Wereta in the Amhara Regional State. The port construction took 3 million US Dollars and it is said to ease Ethiopia’s trading operations with neighbouring Sudan. spanning 3 hectares with an additional 17 hectares set apart for future expansion and redevelopment. The port’s handling capacity is 1000 containers at a time and comprises a sheltered storage space, a container terminal, administrative offices and a few eateries.

Mekelle Dry Port

The Mekelle Dry Port was constructed to lessen the increased cargo burden of the Modjo Port. Built-in 2012, Mekelle port is just 15 km away from Mekelle Industrial Park and spans 42 hectares. Expansion of this port began in 2018, to increase its handling and storage capacity.

Gelan Dry Port

There is another port called the Gelan dry port that handles imports of vehicles such as vans and cars. It is the only Ethiopian port that handles shipments of rolling cargoes. The port has two huge warehouses offering storage facilities and three small administrative buildings.

Recently, the country is also planning to build 2 new dry ports. Jima and Jigjiga are the decided locations for port construction due to the lack of port facilities and the huge distance of Dire Dawa port from Berbera port, in Somalia. Jima port once constructed would allow efficient trade and transfer of agricultural goods, fruits and vegetables to and from Jima and Berbera port. Presently, Ethiopia conducts the majority of its trade through the Djibouti port and plans to construct at least 35 more dry ports.