Ivorian Former Prime Minister Recognizes Ethiopia’s Legitimate Sea Access Aspirations

Addis Ababa, November 12, 2026 (ENA)— Former Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire and President of the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), Pascal Affi N’Guessan, recognized Ethiopia’s quest for sovereign sea access as a legitimate national aspiration.

Speaking to ENA in Addis Ababa, Affi N’Guessan said Ethiopia’s ambitions deserved recognition, expressing hope that outstanding issues could be addressed through solutions acceptable to all parties.

His remarks come at a time when Ethiopia is actively pursuing permanent access to the Red Sea, citing its geographical, historical and economic circumstances.

The East African nation has repeatedly underscored that its quest for sea access is peaceful, emphasizing that the current status of being geographically landlocked should not remain an enduring constraint on its national development.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has particularly described Ethiopia’s pursuit of Red Sea access as an overdue national aspiration.

“A population of over 130 million people cannot remain landlocked. A generation of today will not bequeath a geographically imprisoned nation to posterity,” he stressed.

The country’s geographical proximity to the Red Sea, together with its historical links to the region’s ports, has remained central to its push for securing a sovereign sea outlet.

Ethiopia historically administered the ports of Massawa and Assab and maintained naval capabilities before Eritrea's independence.

Pascal Affi N’Guessan, who served as Côte d’Ivoire’s prime minister from 2000 to 2003, underscored that Ethiopia’s ambition to secure access to a seaport is legitimate.

“I believe that the ambition of Ethiopia is legitimate, and we hope that these questions will find solutions acceptable to all parties, through good compromises that allow everyone to recognize that this is the path that enables the entire region to move forward,” he said.

He emphasized that meaningful compromises and a spirit of cooperation were essential to ensuring that differing interests do not become obstacles to regional progress.

His message also highlights the broader significance of African-led solutions, mutual respect and cooperation in building lasting stability and advancing collective prosperity across the continent.

Affi N’Guessan further said Ethiopia’s quest for sea access should be approached with an understanding of its broader geopolitical implications and the shared future of countries in the Horn of Africa.

"Well, these are geopolitical questions very important, which necessitate capacities of dialogue, capacities of anticipation," he said.

He noted that territorial, identity and geopolitical questions require the parties concerned to look beyond immediate interests and consider the future.

"There are sometimes questions of identity, territorial, geopolitical order, that cannot regulate themselves unless the actors facing each other have a higher appreciation of the future," he stated.

Emphasizing the importance of African unity and shared development, he expressed hope that Ethiopia's ambition would be addressed through an understanding acceptable to all parties.

"Africa can only develop in unity, and unity must also be unity in ideas, in the sharing of things. And so I believe that the ambition of Ethiopia is legitimate, and we hope that these questions will find solutions that are solutions acceptable for all parties, that are the result of good compromises allowing everyone to realize that it is this voice that allows the whole region to advance," he said.