Ethiopia’s entry to the Brics, a group of developing economies that previously included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is a “high point” for Africa’s second most populous country, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Thursday.
The Brics, who are meeting in Johannesburg to expand their global power, said on Thursday that they would welcome six new members in January: Iran, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Ethiopia, a traditionally non-aligned country, maintains tight relationships not just with Russia and China, its primary economic partner, but also with the United States, despite poor relations with Washington during the two-year battle in the Tigray region (northern Ethiopia), which concluded in November 2022.
Ethiopia had one of the world’s most dynamic economies during the 2010 decade, but its progress was slowed by the Covid-19 outbreak, natural disasters, the Tigray conflict, and the global tsunami of the Ukraine crisis.
