What we do

As well as carrying out political, trade and consular functions, the Embassy manages Ireland's development programme in Ethiopia (Irish Aid). The Irish Aid programme has been running since 1994 and focuses on supporting Ethiopia's growth and poverty reduction plans so that the poor benefit from, and contribute to, equitable economic, social and environmental development. To achieve the programme's goals, our team works with a variety of partners, including government agencies, other donors, UN institutions, research centers and civil society organisations. For further information about the Irish Aid programme in Ethiopia, please read our Irish Aid in Ethiopia section (include hyperlink here).

Our work is guided by a whole-of-Embassy approach. This means that the Embassy works to ensure a coherent approach across the political, economic and development work of the Embassy, and explores synergies between the development programme and other aspects of our relationship with Ethiopia.

The Embassy assists Irish businesses interested in investing in Ethiopia and works to promote trade between the two countries. In recent years, the Embassy has worked towards the Double Taxation Agreement with Ethiopia and has secured better transportation links, such as the direct Ethiopian Airlines flight from Dublin to Addis Ababa, which opened in 2015.

The Embassy also aims to contribute to increased knowledge within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the political, economic and humanitarian situations in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Djibouti, and to provide crisis and consular assistance to the Irish citizens in those countries. It also seeks to engage with and to foster a deeper relationship with the African Union (AU), the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).