KEY POINTS
- Ethiopia exports electricity to Djibouti, Sudan and Kenya, with Tanzania and Somalia connections advancing.
- Tanzania’s Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project will also supply power to neighboring African countries.
- Kiruswa says harmonized trade frameworks are key to unlocking Africa’s industrial and economic potential.
Tanzania’s deputy minister for minerals said Ethiopia’s expanding electricity output is making a strong case for accelerated intra-African trade. Stephen Kiruswa made the remarks on the sidelines of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in Addis Ababa.
“Ethiopia is a major producer of electricity in the region,” Kiruswa told the Ethiopian News Agency. He noted that Ethiopian power is already shared through regional cooperation mechanisms, and stressed that energy access remains critical for industrial expansion across the continent.
Ethiopia currently exports electricity to Djibouti, Sudan and Kenya. New transmission links with Somalia and Tanzania are in progress. Most of the country’s generation capacity comes from renewable sources, making it one of East Africa’s most significant energy contributors.
Energy as the foundation for industrial growth
Kiruswa pointed to Tanzania’s own Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project as part of the same regional push. The dam is expected to supply electricity to Zambia and Malawi, and some Ethiopian power already flows through Tanzanian transmission networks.
“Some of the power from Ethiopia is coming through Tanzania. We are sharing through the power-sharing platform,” he said. The deputy minister argued that expanding energy connectivity alone is not enough. It must be matched by stronger trade frameworks to cut dependence on imports from outside the continent.
Trade blocs must do more heavy lifting
According to All Africa, Kiruswa called on the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community and the Economic Community of West African States to ease cross-border movement of goods, services, and industrial inputs.
He laid out a straightforward case for continental specialization. “If we are manufacturing electric vehicle batteries in Tanzania, Ethiopia can buy them from us instead of importing from outside Africa,” he said. “Likewise, we can source what we need from our neighbors. That is how intra-African trade will prosper.”
The argument fits within the broader African Continental Free Trade Area push to unify the continent’s market.
Kiruswa said harmonized regulations, coordinated industrial planning and stronger trade frameworks will be essential. Growing energy networks paired with tighter trade ties, he argued, give Africa the building blocks it needs for sustainable industrialization and long-term economic transformation.
