Investment areas reserved for domestic investors in Ethiopia

The following investment areas are exclusively reserved for domestic investors: 

1/ Subject to applicable law, banking, insurance and microfinance businesses, excluding capital goods finance business; 

2/ Transmission and distribution of electrical energy through integrated national grid system; 

3/ Primary and middle level health services, 

4/ Wholesale trade, petroleum petroleum products, wholesale of own products produced in Ethiopia; excluding wholesale of electronic commerce

5/ Retail trade, excluding retail of and electronic commerce as provided under appropriate law, of own products produced in Ethiopia; 

6/ Import trade, excluding liquefied petroleum gas and bitumen; 

7/ Export trade of raw coffee, khat, oil seeds, pulses, minerals, hides and skins, products of natural forest, chicken, and livestock including pack animals bought on the market; 

8/ Construction and drilling services below Grade I; 

9/ Hotel, lodge, resort, motel, guesthouse, and pension services, excluding those that are star-designated;

10/ Restaurant, tearoom, coffee shops, bars, nightclubs, and catering services, excluding star-designated national cuisine restaurant service;

11/ Travel agency, travel ticket sales and trade auxiliary services,

12/ Tour operation;

13/ Operating lease of equipments, machineries and vehicles, excluding industry-specific heavy equipments, machineries and specialized vehicles;

14/ Transport services, excluding the following areas:

a) Railway transport;

b) Cable-car transport,

c) Cold-chain transport;

d) Freight transport having a capacity of more than 25 tones; and

e) Transport services reserved for joint investment with the Government or domestic investors:

15/ Making indigenous traditional medicines;

16/ Producing bakery products and pastries for domestic market: 

17/ Grinding mills: 

18/ Barbershop and beauty salon services, smithery, and tailoring except by garment factories; 

19/ Maintenance and repair services, including aircraft maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO), but excluding repair and maintenance of heavy industry machineries and medical equipment; 

20/ Aircraft ground handling and other related services. 

21/ Saw milling, timber manufacturing, and assembling of – semi-finished wood products, 

22/ Media services, 

23/Customs clearance service; 

24/ Brick and block manufacturing; An 

25/ Quarrying; 

26/ Lottery and sports betting; 

27/ Laundry services, excluding those provided on industrial alill scale; 

28/ Translation and secretarial services, 

29/ Security services, 29/ Security 

30/ Brokerage services, 

31/ Attorney and legal consultancy services, and 

32/ Private employment agency services, excluding such services for the employment of seafarers and other similar professionals that require high expertise and international experience and network.