History

Swiss scholars were interested in Ethiopia since the time of Renaissance. In the 19th Century then, missionaries and travelers started discovering the country and established relations on a people-to-people base. The most prominent Swiss citizen was Alfred Ilg, an engineer from Frauenfeld who served Emperor Menelik II from 1889 to 1907 as advisor. He had a considerable influence on Ethiopia’s foreign policy and greatly contributed to her modernization.

Source

With the conclusion of a Treaty on Friendship and Commerce on 24 May 1933 they were formalized for the first time. After the Italian-Ethiopian War and World War II they intensified steadily: Diplomatic relations were established on 2 May 1952. In 1955, Switzerland opened a diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa which was upgraded to an Embassy on 4 June 1962.

Swiss Community

The Swiss Community in Ethiopia has always been of relatively small size. At present, around 220 Swiss nationals are registered at the Embassy. Most of them live in the greater area of Addis Ababa. 

The Swiss Society in Ethiopia based in Addis Ababa is not operational for the moment.

Development and Humanitarian Aid

Ethiopia is part of the 2022-25 Swiss cooperation programme for the Horn of Africa. It is also part of the Greater Horn of Africa, which is a geographical priority of the Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy 2021–2024. Development and humanitarian aid represent a major element of the bilateral relations. Switzerland’s commitment is centered around three axes:

• Humanitarian aid: many Ethiopians are still vulnerable to droughts and floods. Switzerland tries to alleviate their effects. Most of the financial resources are multilaterally channeled to international organizations, e.g. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (UNOCHA), United Nations World Food Program (WFP), or United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
  
• Swiss NGOs present in Ethiopia: several of these organizations get core funding from the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation for activities in Ethiopia.
  
• International organizations present in Ethiopia: the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) or the Bretton Woods-Institutions receive funding from Switzerland for activities in Ethiopia. 

Economy

In 2022, Switzerland imported goods (almost exclusively coffee) for about CHF 74 million. The exports (mainly pharmaceutical and mineral fuels) reached about CHF 16 million.

A number of Swiss companies are present on the Ethiopian market with Representative Offices which work together with Ethiopian importers.

Annual economic report of Ethiopia 2023

Law

The network of treaties covers:

• Friendship and commerce (1933)
• Protection of investments (1998)
• Air traffic (2000)
• Science and Technology (2008)
• Double taxation (2021)

Science and Technology

Since the 1960's, an intensive exchange of information and people developed with a focus on soil and water conservation, governance, livelihoods and architecture.

The cooperation was in particular supported by the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research North-South (NCCR). So far, it allowed almost 50 young scientists from both countries to do research on a variety of topics related to Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa.

The signing of an umbrella agreement on science and technology between Switzerland and Ethiopia on 24 November 2008 allowed to structure this cooperation further and to give it new dynamics. On the basis of this agreement, there are various active cooperation projects between Swiss universities (in particular SUPSI, University of Bern, University of Fribourg) and Ethiopian institutions (e.g. in the areas of sustainability, water and land resources, federalism).

Collaboration projects Switzerland – Ethiopia (PDF, 2 Pages, 45.1 kB, English)

Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research North-South (NCCR)

Culture

The Embassy regularly supports Swiss cultural activities in Ethiopia and is regularly involved in the cultural commitments of the German-, French- and Italian-speaking communities.

Swiss Government scholarship for foreign students

Through the Swiss Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS), the Swiss Confederation grants each year, postgraduate excellence scholarships to foreign researchers, students and artists. The goal is to help strengthen the academic and cultural ties. Please find more information by clicking this link:

Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists

The application guidelines for foreign applicants to a Swiss University or arts scholarship for the Academic year 2024-2025, the application form and the necessary medical certificate can be downloaded from the web page to which the above link redirects.