Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations with Ethiopia in 1972. Sri Lanka’s first Ambassador was appointed to Addis Ababa with residence in Nairobi in December, 1972. The Sri Lanka Embassy in Addis Ababa was declared open on 2nd February 2017 by the Foreign Ministers of Ethiopia and Sri Lanka, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu and Mangala Samaraweera. The Embassy of Ethiopia in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka.
The first Sri Lankan Ambassador in Addis Ababa was Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake. He was succeeded by Ambassador Sugeeshwara Gunaratna in November 2019.
Bilateral trade between the two countries have increased from US$2.42 million in 2014 to US$ 19 million in 2019. Of this, around US$ 17 million consists of Sri Lanka’s exports to Ethiopia which are largely inputs into garment manufacturing in Ethiopia. This increase is mainly due to the following Sri Lankan investments in the garment industry which are now located at the Hawassa Industrial Park:
- Hidramani - opened in October 2015
- Isabella - September 2016
- Hela Clothing - December 2016
A Sri Lankan chemical production company, S&D Chemicals (Pvt.) Ltd. also has a base in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.
Around 400 Sri Lankans were employed, mainly in the garment industry, in Ethiopia by around March 2019 but the numbers have come down to less than 400 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sri Lanka’s Trade with Ethiopia from 2009 to 2021
|
Year |
Exports |
Imports |
Total Trade |
Balance of Trade |
| Value in Million US$ | ||||
|
2009 |
0.76 |
0.00 |
0.76 |
0.76 |
|
2010 |
0.26 |
0.20 |
0.46 |
0.06 |
|
2011 |
2.53 |
0.01 |
2.54 |
2.52 |
|
2012 |
2.54 |
0.21 |
2.75 |
2.33 |
|
2013 |
7.76 |
0.75 |
8.51 |
7.01 |
|
2014 |
1.36 |
1.06 |
2.42 |
0.3 |
|
2015 |
2.11 |
1.22 |
3.33 |
0.89 |
|
2016 |
3.73 |
0.93 |
4.66 |
2.8 |
|
2017 |
9.46 |
0.61 |
10.07 |
8.85 |
|
2018 |
10.07 |
1.44 |
11.51 |
8.63 |
|
2019 |
17.37 |
1.38 |
18.75 |
15.99 |
|
2020 |
36.94 |
0.60 |
37.54 |
36.34 |
| 2021 | 18.50 | 0.39 | 18.89 | 18.11 |
Source : Sri Lanka customs
Sri Lanka has had a favorable trade balance with Ethiopia over the years.
