Relationship dossier
Ethiopia
South Africa
Relationship assessment
Bilateral agreements and a joint commission support cooperation between Ethiopia and South Africa.
Ethiopia toward South Africa
+30Ethiopia has engaged South Africa through bilateral cooperation agreements and a joint commission, with cooperation spanning areas such as trade and investment, education and science, and defense.
South Africa toward Ethiopia
+30South Africa has engaged Ethiopia through bilateral cooperation agreements and a joint commission, with cooperation spanning areas such as trade and investment, education and science, and defense.
Overall relationship
+30The relationship has a durable cooperative framework through bilateral agreements and a joint commission, with engagement across several policy areas. The breadth of cooperation is evident, but its implementation and intensity are not clear enough to characterize the relationship as a close partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Ethiopia and South Africa maintain a cooperative relationship supported by bilateral agreements and a joint commission for government-to-government cooperation. Cooperation has covered areas including trade and investment, education and science, and defense. These arrangements indicate substantive engagement, though the depth and implementation of cooperation across sectors are not clear.
Key developments
The two governments established a joint commission and signed bilateral cooperation agreements covering multiple policy areas.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and current scope of bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The frequency and recent activity of the joint commission are uncertain.