The Eritrea Investment Center, a department functioning under the Ministry of Trade and Industry is a one-stop-shop for promoting and facilitating investments in Eritrea. The center is committed to support and encourage investment by assisting investors to acquire the necessary legality and by way of incentives and guarantees.

AREAS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR INVESTMENT

In Eritrea sectors with high prospects for development and lucrative investment opportunities includes agriculture, fisheries, fish processing, manufacturing, communications banking, transport, and tourism.

AGRICULTURE – Despite plenty of arable land and significant water resources, Eritrea has at present not only the proportion of the cultivated land is so small but farming is practiced on the basis of archaic and traditional methods. In light of these, there is ample room for accelerated agricultural development if enough investment is channeled to the sector. Large productivity gains could be achieved from relatively modest investments in new and improved methods. Using modern cultivation, fertilization, plant protection and water conservation techniques large quantities of food crops, exports and raw materials for industrial enterprises can be produced. The development of irrigated agriculture in the lowland river basins is highly promising. Also, Eritrea is endowed with suitable animal husbandry and livestock development, though the current development of this subsector is so low. If modern animal husbandry, improved animal feed, interbreeding efforts, veterinary and vaccination services are introduced high investment returns can be obtained from this

MARINE RESOURCES – Eritrea’s coastal waters are among the most productive fishing grounds in the Red Sea. The continental shelf corers more than 52,oookm2. The maximum sustainable yield (MSY) is between 50 – 70,000 tons per year. The existing fish population includes groupers, jack, catfish, mackerel, barracuda, shark, queenfish, tuna, kingfish, sea bream, and sole. Despite the high potential, the marine sector is one of the most undeveloped activities in Eritrea. With the introduction of improved equipment, facilities, infrastructure, and transport networks via investment high returns can be harnessed from this sub-sector. In light of this, the Government is keenly interested to promote foreign investment (including collaborations) in this area of the economy.

MANUFACTURING – At present, much of the sector is in need of substantial investment for rehabilitation and expansion. Promising manufacturing opportunities for investment can be found in textiles, garments, leather products, general food processing, cement and other construction materials, and a wide range of chemicals (including salt) and mechanical manufacturing that can supply the domestic, regional and international markets. Eritrea’s strategic location coupled with the ongoing improvements in infrastructure is believed to extensively promote the Country’s comparative and competitive advantages in developing an export-oriented manufacturing sector, thereby opening up for lucrative investment ventures in this area.

MINERAL RESOURCES – Geological works and recent remote sensing investigations have proved that Eritrea possesses favorable geological settings. The Eritrean greenstone belt which hosts precious and base metal covers 70% of the Country. The major mineral resources include Metallic-gold, silver, copper, zinc, iron, nickel, and chromium.
Industrial – potash, sulphur, gypsum, salt, silica, sand, feldspar, and kaolin
Construction-marble, granite, chalk, and basalt also deposits of oil and natural gas are believed to be promising.