US Considers Backing Ethiopia Airport Project

The United States is seeking to expand the involvement of American companies in Ethiopian Airlines’ $12.5 billion Bishoftu International Airport project as competition for major infrastructure investments across Africa intensifies.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Middle East and Africa, Mark Mitchell, said Washington is engaging with Ethiopian authorities to identify opportunities for American firms to participate in the development. Speaking at the Africa Logistics and Communications Symposium in Addis Ababa, Mitchell said he had held discussions with Ethiopian Airlines executives on possible areas of cooperation linked to the project.

Mitchell did not outline the specific roles American companies could assume but said greater US participation could lead to additional orders for Boeing aircraft equipped with GE Aerospace engines. Earlier this year, Ethiopian Airlines agreed to purchase six more Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, expanding an existing order for 20 aircraft as it continues to grow its fleet.

Construction of the new airport, located about 45 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa in Bishoftu, began in January. The four-runway facility is expected to be completed by 2030 and is designed to become one of Africa’s largest aviation hubs. Ethiopian officials have said the project forms part of a broader strategy to position the country as a leading regional aviation and logistics centre.

The African Development Bank has committed $500 million to the project and is coordinating efforts to mobilise an additional $8.7 billion in financing. Mitchell also said the US Commerce Department is exploring closer cooperation with Ethiopia’s Artificial Intelligence Institute to support the export of American artificial intelligence technologies and strengthen bilateral economic ties.

SOURCE: Reuters