Govt Prepares Special Economic Zone Law
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) is preparing a new law to govern the country’s push to set up special Economic Zones.
The government has already adopted a Special Economic Zone Policy with a view to establishing effective and development-oriented special economic zones and dry ports across the country.
This was followed by the inauguration of Ethiopia’s first free trade zone in Dire Dawa, 450 km east of Addis Ababa, last August.
EIC commissioner Lelise Leme told parliamentarians earlier this month that the Commission is in the final stage of preparing a draft special economic zone proclamation.
The EIC has tabled the draft proclamation for the first consultative discussion involving key government stakeholders.
The drafting team has presented key policy elements and major departures in the law, according to the Investment Commission.
The Commission says it will continue the discussion on the bill “with private sector representatives and other critical stakeholders” in the coming days.
The draft’s proclamation will then be tabled to the Council of Ministers and Parliament for approval.
Featured Image Caption: The first car assembly plant was inaugurated in the Dire Dawa Free Trade Zone a week after the FTZ officially opened for business on August 14, 2022.
