Overview
Ethiopia is expanding its agricultural technology ecosystem under the national Digital Ethiopia 2025 Strategy, which recognizes drones as vital tools for agricultural transformation. While formal drone spraying regulations are still emerging, Ethiopia has well-established pesticide control and aviation safety frameworks that guide responsible drone adoption in agriculture.
Regulatory Authorities
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Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA): Regulates drone registration, licensing, and airspace safety under the Civil Aviation Proclamation No. 616/2008 and its subsequent directives on Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).
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Ethiopian Agricultural Authority (EAA): Formerly under MoA, oversees pesticide registration, labelling, and distribution under the Pesticide Registration and Control Proclamation No. 674/2010.
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Ethiopian Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission (EFCCC): Supervises environmental safeguards and chemical management under the Environmental Pollution Control Proclamation No. 300/2002.
Drone-Specific Guidelines
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Drone spraying for agriculture is currently allowed under research, pilot or extension programs in partnership with government institutions or licensed providers.
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Operators must seek prior approval from ECAA for drone importation, flight operations and demonstration permits.
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Pesticides applied via drones must be approved by the EAA and applied by trained personnel following environmental protection standards.
Regulatory Readiness
The country’s legal environment for drone operations is nascent, with a draft regulatory framework developed in 2019 that has not yet been operationalized.
Authorities are cautious—mainly due to security, environmental and liability concerns—and currently do not support civilian use of drones for spraying pesticides.
Despite this, Ethiopia’s strong institutional structure for agriculture and environment could support future reform once enabling policies and pilot frameworks are introduced.