In force since 6 January 2022, a Directive issued from the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) requires all exporters of goods and services in the country to transfer 70 percent of their foreign currency earnings to the NBE and 10 percent to their respective commercial banks. The measure, aimed at countering the perennial shortage of foreign currency in the country, allows exporters to access to only 20 percent of the earnings generated by their sales abroad, with the rest being transferred to the banking system that will convert the relevant amount in local currency. Today, the NBE has announced the adoption of a new Directive that relaxes this requirement, allowing local exporters to retain up to 40 percent of their foreign exchange proceeds. This measure is supposed to relaunch exports, allowing Ethiopian traders to use a higher share of their foreign earnings for buying the inputs they need from outside the country in order to feed their manufacturing processes or to pay the services they need from abroad.

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In October 2022 a study from the Kiel Institute argued that the AfCFTA offers an opportunity also to third countries for expanding their trade and investments in Africa. The study noted that already the EU is conducting studies on how to improve its connectivity with Africa by identifying a series of Strategic Corridors in the continent where to concentrate funding, so to facilitate its trade links with the continent. At the same time, the study warned that a condition which is necessary for foreign exporters to benefit from the AfCFTA is the reduction of the current level of Non-tariff Barriers, that are amongst the highest in the world, as described in the latest UNCTAD "Key Statistics and Trends in Trade Policy” report. In fact, removing such barriers would mean that also exporters from Europe and third countries will be able to move their products from one African country to another with less hindrances, and therefore at a lower cost. The special assistant to the US President, during a press conference in Washington on 31 July, raised also the need to harmonise investment regulations between African countries as a condition for expanding investments of US companies to Africa.

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