Ethiopia has opened discussions with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development over potential financing for its planned international mega airport, a 10 billion US dollar project that would be the largest in Africa once completed.
The Ministry of Finance said in a statement that Finance Minister Ahmed Shide met Waleed Al-Bahar, Acting Director General of the Kuwait Fund, on the sidelines of the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings in Washington, DC. The talks, according to the Ministry, focused on deepening the partnership between the two sides, with particular attention to infrastructure and private sector development.
Among the priorities outlined by Mr Ahmed was the Bishoftu International Airport, to be built about 25 miles southeast of Addis Ababa. The project, led by Ethiopian Airlines, is designed to replace the capital’s congested Bole International Airport, which has reached its capacity of 25 million passengers a year. Bishoftu is expected to handle up to 60 million passengers when the first phase is completed in 2029, rising to 110 million at full capacity.
Ethiopian Airlines has said the lower altitude of the Bishoftu site will allow longer-range non-stop flights to destinations such as the United States, improving competitiveness and positioning Addis Ababa as a continental aviation hub.
The Ministry said both sides explored ways to accelerate Kuwait Fund involvement in strategic and high-impact projects but did not disclose details of any financial commitments.
Ethiopia has sought to attract concessional funding from Arab development institutions as it navigates a debt restructuring process and works to sustain infrastructure investment amid fiscal constraints.
