The EU’s Global Gateway Investment aims to diversify trade routes for landlocked Ethiopia and counter growing foreign influence in the region.
BERBERA, Somaliland — The European Union has identified a critical transport artery linking landlocked Ethiopia to the port of Berbera in Somaliland as a prime candidate for major infrastructure investment, part of a broader strategy to reshape trade flows in the Horn of Africa and secure the EU’s economic and geopolitical footprint.
A new assessment by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), seen by The Saxafi Media, ranks the “Dar es Salaam-Nairobi-Addis Ababa-Berbera-Djibouti” corridor among eleven African routes with the “most promising potential” for funding under the EU’s €300 billion Global Gateway initiative. The program, Europe’s answer to China’s Belt and Road, aims to build smart, clean, and secure infrastructure globally.
In its 2025 assessment, the European Commission highlighted infrastructure accessibility as the most promising area for intervention, with Berbera identified as a high-potential hub thanks to its coastal location, proximity to under-connected productive zones, and relatively low natural and conflict-related risks.
“The investment in the Berbera route isn’t simply about Ethiopia,” said Mariam Diarra, regional transport specialist at the African Development Bank. “It’s about integrating East African economies, enabling trade from inland Tanzania to the Red Sea, and laying the groundwork for digital and energy corridors alongside transport.”
For Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous nation, the promise of the Berbera corridor is profound. Currently, over 90% of its trade funnels through the congested port of Djibouti, a single point of failure that exposes its economy to significant risk. The EU-backed plan would not only upgrade the vital road link from the Ethiopian border to Berbera but also integrate it into a larger network stretching to Kenya and Tanzania, offering Addis Ababa cheaper costs and long-coveted alternatives.
“This isn’t just about paving roads; it’s about rerouting geopolitical and economic dependencies,” said a senior EU official involved in the planning, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details are not yet public. “Diversifying Ethiopia’s access to the sea is crucial for its economic stability and for the resilience of regional supply chains. Berbera’s deep-water potential and strategic location are central to that calculus.”
The JRC report does not prescribe specific projects but provides a data-driven framework to guide investment. It concludes that spending on physical transport and accessibility “would deliver the most prominent results” across all African corridors. In contrast, bridging the digital divide through broadband and fiber optics was found to be the most challenging objective.
The elevation of the Berbera corridor marks a significant, if indirect, diplomatic milestone for Somaliland, an independent republic that regained its independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains largely unrecognized internationally.
“The EU’s recognition of the Berbera Corridor is a game-changer,” said Ahmed Mohamed, a Berbera-based logistics analyst. “It validates our port’s strategic role and unlocks a new wave of international visibility and investment. This isn’t just a road; it’s a lifeline that connects Ethiopia to the world through us, bringing jobs, development, and a stronger position on the global stage.”
The EU’s formal inclusion of Berbera as a key node in a pan-African transport network is a powerful endorsement of its economic viability, and it still sends a quiet but unmistakable signal.
“The fact that Berbera is now part of the EU’s Global Gateway corridor network is a huge endorsement, even if implicit,” said Michael Keating, executive director of the European Institute of Peace. “It reflects pragmatic diplomacy—engaging where the infrastructure is viable and where the trade flows make sense.”
The port of Berbera, managed by Emirati logistics giant DP World under a 30-year concession, has undergone significant modernization to become a competitive regional hub. The EU’s potential investment in the connecting corridor would supercharge this private-sector development, ensuring goods can move efficiently from the port to inland areas.
Officials in Addis Ababa have welcomed the initiative, viewing it as a chance to reduce Ethiopia’s overdependence on a single maritime route. In Somaliland, where investment is sparse and recognition scarce, the move could bring both funding and legitimacy.
“We are ready to play our part in regional connectivity,” said Mohamed Haji, a Berbera port authority official. “The world is waking up to Berbera—and we are ready.”
The Global Gateway strategy is viewed by analysts as Europe’s tool to foster sustainable development while also countering the influence of other global powers, notably China, which financed and built the rival Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway.
“The EU is playing a strategic long game,” said Annette Weber, a senior fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations specializing in the Horn of Africa. “By funding infrastructure that enhances regional integration and trade diversification, they are offering an alternative model of partnership—one that is ostensibly based on sustainability and mutual benefit, while clearly advancing European interests.”
The report cautions that the digitalization of the corridors remains a weak link, constraining efficiency. However, it notes that synergies with road and rail projects could help bridge these gaps. The next phase will require careful feasibility studies and negotiations, but for the bustling port of Berbera and the quiet corridors of power in Hargeisa and Addis Ababa, the promise of a new, European-backed connection to the world is now firmly on the map.
The 11 EU-Backed Corridors in Africa
According to the European Commission’s 2025 assessment, the following corridors have been earmarked as investment priorities:
- Abidjan–Lagos (West Africa)
- Abidjan–Ouagadougou
- Praia–Dakar–Abidjan
- Cotonou–Niamey
- Libreville–Kribi–Douala–N’Djamena
- Douala–Kisangani–Kampala
- Dar es Salaam–Nairobi–Addis Ababa–Berbera–Djibouti
- Mombasa–Kisangani
- Maputo–Walvis Bay
- Durban–Lubumbashi
- Cairo–Juba–Kampala (assessment postponed)
