Overview
Eritrea
Eritrea is a country of about 3.6 million people in the Horn of Africa. Covering roughly 117,600 km², it borders Sudan, Ethiopia, and Djibouti and has a coastline of more than 1,000 km along the Red Sea, including the Dahlak Archipelago. Asmara is the capital. A central highland plateau separates the western lowlands from the arid coastal plain, which extends southeast into the Danakil Depression. Forests cover about 9% of the land, and droughts are frequent. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a prolonged conflict, and the two countries later fought a border war from 1998 to 2000 before signing a peace agreement in 2018. Isaias Afwerki has served as president since independence. No national elections have been held, and the Constitution ratified in 1997 has not been implemented. Tigrinya, Arabic, and English are widely used working languages, and Christianity and Islam are the main religions.
Eritrea is a low-income country. Agriculture accounts for about one-third of the economy, and mining, mainly of copper, zinc, and gold, accounts for about 20%. Most of the population depends on subsistence farming and herding. The World Bank’s lending program in Eritrea is inactive because of repayment arrears. Recent economic data are limited. The latest World Bank figures are for 2011, when Eritrea’s GDP per capita was approximately US$689, and real GDP grew by 8.7%.
Source: World Bank. (2026). World Development Indicators, from https://data.worldbank.org/country/eritrea
Institutions
Institutions with at least one Faculty Member Registered with Ivey Publishing
- University of Asmara
Source: Ivey Publishing. 39C Accounts by Country. Provided by Adrianna Gleam-Fossaceca, Ivey Publishing, August 11, 2026.
Cases
Ivey-Copyrighted Cases in or involving Eritrea
Ivey Publishing and the 39 Country Initiative welcome case submissions that deepen understanding of Eritrea’s businesses, institutions, industries, and broader economic and social context.
| Case | Authors | Published / Revised | Product Number | Pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where Have You Been? An Exercise to Assess Your Exposure to the Rest of the World’s Peoples | Paul W. Beamish | Nov 27, 2025 | W48085 | 11 |
Source: Ivey Publishing. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://www.iveypublishing.ca/s/
Workshops
Workshops Provided to Institutions in Eritrea
No case-teaching workshops have been held in Eritrea to date. Opportunities remain to extend the 39 Country Initiative’s outreach to institutions in Eritrea through its online case-teaching activities.