Ethiopian Airlines, Air Djibouti, the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ), and Société de Gestion du Terminal à Conteneurs de Doraleh (SGTD) signed the Sea-Air Logistics Model agreement.
The signing ceremony of the agreement on Friday was witnessed by the Ethiopian Embassy’s Deputy head of mission, Ambassador Mohammed Hassen, and the chairman of the Djibouti port and free zone authority, Aboubaker Omar Hadi.
“The partnership will strengthen regional connectivity by utilizing an innovative multimodal transportation system developed by the Djibouti port and free zone authorities, Air Djibouti, and Ethiopian Airlines,” said Ethiopian foreign Ministry.
The Sea-Air cargo initiative is twice as fast as sea-only transportation and twice as cheap as air-only transportation.
Officials of the two neighboring countries expect the latest initiative to significantly improve trade links between the two countries as well as between the continents of Africa and Asia.
Ethiopian Airlines is currently playing a key role in boosting trade, commerce, and investment in Africa, which are the engines of the continent’s economic development.
The Sea-Air Cargo Agreement, when combined with Djibouti’s competitive geostrategic advantage, “will undoubtedly play a vital role in the transportation of commodities and profit maximization”, according to the ministry.
Besides, combining DPFZA’s port operations knowledge with that of the two airlines in a sea-air cargo scheme will help to harmonize policies and accelerate economic integration, it added.
