On 11 December 2025, the World Trade Organization WTO announced that the first National Forum dedicated to Ethiopias WTO accession negotiations had been held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the participation of senior Ethiopian government officials, representatives from the private sector and the diplomatic community, and the WTO Secretariat. Underscoring the benefits of WTO membership to Ethiopias trade and economic development, Ethiopias deputy prime minister confirmed his governments commitment to completing the negotiations as soon as possible. The forum was entitled Integrating Ethiopia, Transforming Trade .
In a written statement, the chairperson of the Working Party on the Accession of Ethiopia said that 2025 will be a transformational year . Recalling the steps Ethiopia has taken to reactivate its accession negotiations, the chairperson noted that Ethiopias National Steering Committees visit to the WTO in December 2024 enabled it to reset its accession process and set in motion one of the most dynamic negotiations currently under way .
Throughout the process, Ethiopia has submitted 40 negotiating documents to advance the negotiations. The chairs statement added: In addition to responding to well over 1 000 questions from WTO members on various aspects of its trade regime, Ethiopia has shared about 400 pieces of legislation with WTO members, accounting for one of the highest numbers among all accessions .
