03/09/2026
Ethiopia and the Netherlands held the fourth round of political consultation in Addis Ababa on 3 September 2026. The political consultation offered opportunities for the two countries to examine how cooperations on both bilateral and regional issues can be strengthened. They also explored potential to expand partnership, particularly in trade and investment.
The Ethiopian delegation, while appreciating the Netherlands for the support it had extended to Ethiopia’s development agenda, underlined the need to encourage trade and investment and build on growing presence of Dutch businesses in Ethiopia. Agro- processing and agriculture, mainly floriculture and horticulture still remain not fully utilized . The delegations of the Netherlands and Ethiopia highlighted firm commitment to supporting peace and security in the region. Ethiopia appreciated the Netherlands' interest to working closely with Ethiopia in areas of mutual interest.
The Netherlands delegation also underscored how important the ongoing Broad Based Home Grown Reforms are and the positive momentum of changes in Ethiopia. They reaffirming continued commitment to working with Ethiopia in the latters development efforts.
Over a hundred Dutch companies are currently engaged in different investment sectors in Ethiopia, particularly in agro-processing, agriculture, horticulture and floriculture, and the beverage industry. As part of the development cooperation between the two sides, the Netherlands is promoting with support to the social sectors such as health, education, and water projects.
Officials from both sides welcomed the growing bilateral relations between the two countries and underscored the importance of further strengthening existing relations at bilateral and multilateral levels.