African countries are seeking to join BRICS in order to gain a platform for dialogue on an equal footing. This was stated by Kinfu Tafesse Zenebe, President of the Union of African Diasporas in Russia and the Association of the Ethiopian Community in Russia and the CIS, and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, on the TV BRICS programme “BRICS Dialogue”.
According to him, African countries’ interest in the group is linked to its development and the willingness of its members to build partnerships based on equality.
“BRICS is constantly developing. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spoke at the Kazan Forum in 2024 about fair international organisations. That is why many African countries want to see an alternative, fair international group,” he said. The expert added that BRICS has several areas of cooperation, including economic, cultural and banking. People in Africa seek equal dialogue on these issues among partners such as Russia, China and India.
In the expert’s view, Africa currently needs to strengthen food security and improve access to clean water. Russia can assist the continent in both areas.
“Africa’s main tasks today are to feed its people and provide them with clean water. That is why the experience of countries such as Russia, which know how to grow crops, is very important,” he said.
Speaking about Ethiopia, Kinfu noted that the country made a deliberate decision to move closer to BRICS, including in order to support domestic reforms. He cited population growth figures: when he arrived in Russia 30 years ago, Ethiopia had a population of 47 million; today, it has more than 135 million. The country faces the task of providing its growing population with food and jobs.
Kinfu also recalled that Ethiopia has extensive experience of working on international platforms: the country hosts the headquarters of the African Union, formerly the Organisation of African Unity, as well as an international branch of the United Nations (UN). The country has also recorded a trade turnover of US$11 billion for the first time.
Asked which country he would like to see join BRICS, Kinfu named Zimbabwe.
Ethiopia joined BRICS on 1 January 2024 together with Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This took place during Russia’s BRICS chairmanship. According to Ethiopia’s Ambassador to Russia Uriat Cham Ugala, BRICS membership enabled the country to reach a new level of economic development.
Courtesy/TV BRICS
