Prospects of Ethiopia’s Energy Led Integration with the Horn of Africa: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Energy led cooperation has been seen in different parts of the world as a strategy of attaining energy security and regional economic integration. Since recently, it has been also seen in different regions of Africa including the Horn of Africa (hereafter HoA). Energy cooperation in the HoA has been regarded as a good step to promote relations between countries in the region in various forms. This study has two separate but interrelated objectives. Firstly, it assesses Ethiopia’s energy led integration efforts with the HoA and major opportunities therein. Secondly, the paper discusses the key challenges of Ethiopia’s energy led integration efforts with the region. The study uses both primary and secondary data. To substantiate the analysis, theoretical assumptions of Realism, Functionalism, and Neo-Functionalism are utilized. The findings of this study indicates that Ethiopia’s energy led cooperation schemes with the HoA are increasing from time to time and have a good prospect for further regional energy integration. Thus, Ethiopia’s energy led cooperation with the region is incrementally and functionally becoming more in line with theories of functionalism and neo-functionalism. However, it also asserts that political instability of the region, lack of trust among countries, and hydro politics of the Eastern Nile basin inform that assumptions of realism are also important to explain energy based integration in the HoA region. Nonetheless, if due attention is given by political elites, energy led integration schemes in the HoA are with great potentials in addressing the unresolved political, economic and social crises of the region.