Ethiopia and Somaliland held discussions in Addis Ababa on Saturday aimed at deepening financial and economic cooperation, officials said.

The meeting brought together Abdinasir Ahmed Hersi, governor of Somaliland’s central bank, and Mamo E. Mihretu, Governor of National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE). They discussed cross-border trade, payments and settlement systems, foreign exchange and trade financing, FinTech licensing, and anti-money laundering measures.

Both sides agreed to establish a joint technical working group to monitor the progress of their initiatives. Governor Hersi emphasised the strategic importance of Somaliland’s Berbera Port and trade corridor for Ethiopia, calling for faster implementation of banking and insurance frameworks to support port operations. Governor Mihretu said the matter would be raised with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The discussions also covered formalising khat trade across the border and the potential opening of a branch of Ethiopia’s Commercial Bank in Somaliland. Both central banks pledged continued collaboration to support economic growth and regional stability.