Ethiopian parliament has enacted a law prohibiting adoption of Ethiopian children by foreigners.
The legislation is said to encourage orphans to be adopted in their own country to shield them from abuse, Xinhua reported.
Many foreigners seeking to adopt African children have thronged the nation in recent past, with actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie being leading examples.
However, concern over cases of maltreatment of the children and possible human trafficking increased calls for the practice to be banned.
In 2013, the case of a 13-year-old Ethiopian child who died in the United States sparked controversy after her adoptive parents were jailed for the death.
Many western nations have stopped adoption of children from the country, with many of them claiming corruption in the process of adoption and concerns over human trafficking as reasons for their decision.
However, during the session some members of parliament have raised concerns over enough availability of local adoption facilities for adoptees.
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