Promote:
Invest in Eritrea
A short guide for companies expanding into Eritrea: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.
1. Eritrea at a glance
PopulationEstimate
3.61 million
The population was 3,607,003 in 2025.
Source: World Bank WDI, Eritrea population, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
GDPEstimate
US$3.1 billion
GDP was US$3.1 billion in 2025 at current prices, a World Bank estimate. National accounts data are unpublished, so check the source before you quote it.
Source: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
GDP per personEstimate
US$860
GDP per person was US$860.1 in 2025 at current prices, a World Bank estimate.
Source: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Real GDP growthEstimate
3.2%
Real GDP growth was 3.2 percent in 2025, a World Bank estimate.
Source: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
InflationEstimate
3.9%
Consumer price inflation averaged 3.9 percent in 2025, per the World Bank, and the price data cover only Asmara. No monthly twelve-month rate was found.
Source: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Foreign direct investment inflows
US$82.4 million
Foreign direct investment inflows were US$82.4 million in 2025.
Source: UNCTADstat, Eritrea inward FDI flows, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
The currency is the nakfa (ERN).
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Exported Goods Regulations, Legal Notice 57/2002 (opens in a new tab) · as of January 22, 2002
2. Before you set up
The investment agency, any one-stop route, the sectors reserved for nationals and the zones, as the guide found them.
The investment promotion agency is the Eritrean Investment Center, which approves investment projects.
Source: Shabait, Investment in Eritrea, January 2012 (opens in a new tab) · as of January 20, 2012
The Business Licensing Office is described as a centralized one-stop licensing center for forming businesses and renewing licenses.
Source: Shabait, Investment in Eritrea, January 2012 (opens in a new tab) · as of January 20, 2012
For foreign investments above US$20 million, Article 5 closes the financial sector, domestic wholesale and retail trade, and commission agency, unless the Government waives the limit.
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Foreign Financed Special Investments Proclamation 159/2007 (opens in a new tab) · as of April 12, 2007
Free zones are set up under the Eritrean Free Zones Proclamation No. 115/2001; no official list or count of designated zones was found.
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Eritrean Free Zones Proclamation 115/2001 (opens in a new tab) · as of August 25, 2001
3. Steps to set up
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Setting up in Eritrea
- Obtain a business license, which the investor must finalize with the other institutions involved.Business Licensing Office of the Ministry of Trade and IndustryOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Foreign Financed Special Investments Proclamation 159/2007 (opens in a new tab) · as of April 12, 2007
- Submit the project to the investment agency for approval and an investor certificate.Eritrean Investment CenterMaximum of 10 days under the 1994 code, as of 2012Official page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Shabait, Investment in Eritrea, January 2012 (opens in a new tab) · as of January 20, 2012
- For a free zone project, apply for a license to develop or run a free zone.Eritrean Free Zones AuthorityOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Eritrean Free Zones Proclamation 115/2001 (opens in a new tab) · as of August 25, 2001
- For a mining project, obtain every mining license through the one-stop system.Ministry of Energy and MinesOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Shabait, ENAMCO on Eritrea’s mining sector, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 26, 2025
Show 2 more set-up steps
- Above US$20 million, send a written request for customs duty and sales tax relief to the Director General of Customs.Customs DepartmentOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Foreign Financed Special Investments Proclamation 159/2007 (opens in a new tab) · as of April 12, 2007
- Open foreign exchange accounts in an Eritrean bank, under Bank of Eritrea regulations.Bank of EritreaOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Foreign Financed Special Investments Proclamation 159/2007 (opens in a new tab) · as of April 12, 2007
4. Organizations that help investors
Start with Investment Center and Customs Department. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
Investment and business setup
- Get advice
Investment promotion agency
Investment Center
Eritrean Investment Center
Approves investment projects and issues investor certificates, under the 1994 investment code.
Visit Investment Center (opens in a new tab)Source: Shabait, Investment in Eritrea, January 2012 (opens in a new tab) · as of January 20, 2012
State mining corporation
ENAMCO
Eritrean National Mining Corporation
Holds the state’s stake in mining joint ventures, including 40 percent of Bisha and Zara.
Visit ENAMCO (opens in a new tab)Source: Shabait, ENAMCO on Eritrea’s mining sector, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 26, 2025
Show 1 more organization
- Meet requirements
Central bank
Bank of Eritrea
Issues the foreign exchange regulations that govern investors’ foreign currency accounts and remittances.
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Customs authority
Customs Department
Takes written reports of goods before export at the customs office nearest the place of export.
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce
Chamber of Commerce
Eritrean Chamber of Commerce
Trains entrepreneurs, for example in trade ethics for traders in the Southern region.
- Get advice
Women’s agribusiness association
Women Agro-Business Association
Eritrean Women Agro-Business Association
Supports women in value addition and packaging of food products such as honey, poultry and milk.
5. Worth knowing
Currency and settlement
The United Nations country team says exclusion from the SWIFT payments network limits private-sector transactions and access to international finance.
What to do: Confirm with the buyer’s bank how payment will reach Eritrea before you commit to a shipment.
Source: United Nations in Eritrea, Annual Results Report 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Reserved sectors
For foreign investments above US$20 million, Article 5 of the 2007 proclamation closes the financial sector, domestic wholesale and retail trade, and commission agency unless the Government waives it.
What to do: Ask the Eritrean Investment Center whether your activity needs a waiver before you start the project.
Source: Eritrea Gazette, Foreign Financed Special Investments Proclamation 159/2007 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Public debt and arrears
The World Bank estimates total public debt at 212.5 percent of GDP in 2025, and the United Nations puts about 80 percent of it with domestic banks.
What to do: Check payment terms with any state-owned counterpart before you sign a contract.
Sources: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab); United Nations in Eritrea, Annual Results Report 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Official statistics gaps
The World Bank says national accounts data are unpublished, inflation data cover only Asmara, and balance of payments data are incomplete.
What to do: Ask the agency for its own figures, and treat published estimates as approximate in your project.
Source: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
Show 1 more
Regional security
The World Bank lists recent escalation in tensions with Ethiopia and spillovers from the Sudan conflict among Eritrea’s downside risks.
What to do: Check current government travel advice before you arrange staff travel or site visits.
Source: World Bank, Macro Poverty Outlook Eritrea, October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026
6. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare Eritrea with other countriesSet Eritrea beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
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Promote:Eritrea is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 31, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.