Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s participation in the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 6 to 12 dominated Ethiopia’s international agenda, as the government used the gathering to chase investment, technology, trade and development cooperation from major emerging economies.
Who Holds the Levers
The Addis Ababa government entered the 2019 Ethiopian calendar year with a broad agenda built around intensified diplomacy, investment promotion, economic transformation, digital innovation, reconciliation and renewed focus on strategic maritime interests. That’s the language of state planning, but the pressure runs downhill. The article says the week’s developments point to a national strategy of strengthening domestic productive capacity, widening international partnerships, attracting capital and technology, deepening regional influence and pursuing strategic interests while maintaining cooperation and peaceful engagement.
At home, the government emphasized economic transformation, logistics development, digitalization, climate resilience and reconciliation. More than 600 federal prisoners were released around the New Year, including prominent figures. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged those released to begin the New Year in a spirit of peace and contribute to the outcomes of the national consultation process. The release gave the holiday a political edge, one wrapped in reconciliation but still managed from above.
Ethiopia celebrated Enkutatash 2019 on September 11, following the five-day Pagume period that bridges the old and new years. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and First Lady Zinash Tayachew shared a New Year meal with members of the local community, a gesture meant to underscore solidarity and togetherness. Government leaders used the New Year to emphasize peace, national unity, development and continued reform. Diplomatic representatives, including Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia Avraham Neguise and Cameroon's Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue Monono, also extended New Year greetings to Ethiopians.
The Deals, the Summits, the Gatekeepers
The BRICS summit gave Abiy a stage to press for stronger BRICS cooperation with Africa, particularly in minerals, renewable energy and industrial development. He stressed the need for African countries to move beyond exporting raw materials and capture greater value from their resources. Artificial intelligence also featured in Ethiopia’s message. Abiy urged BRICS countries to make AI a tool for Africa’s development rather than another source of technological inequality. Debt sustainability and climate finance were also highlighted, tying the priorities of emerging economies to the development problems confronting Africa.
Ethiopia also proposed a BRICS coordination track toward COP32, which Addis Ababa is scheduled to host in 2027. That proposal links economic diplomacy, climate action and the development priorities of the Global South, all through the machinery of intergovernmental bargaining.
The summit also opened the door to bilateral meetings. Abiy’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin focused on strengthening the Ethiopia-Russia strategic partnership across defence and security, trade, investment, education, technology, culture, climate and development. His meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi explored opportunities to strengthen Ethiopia-India relations, particularly in investment, defence and emerging sectors. With Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, discussions focused on investment, tourism, renewable energy and industrial development. Abiy also held discussions with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Red Sea security and regional stability, while meeting Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vietnamese Prime Minister Lê Minh Hưng.
President Taye Atske Selassie led a high-level Ethiopian delegation to Dubai for the 15th Annual Investment Meeting, presenting Ethiopia’s investment opportunities and highlighting ongoing economic reforms. Clean energy and other strategic sectors were presented as areas of substantial potential for foreign investment. President Taye called for increased Qatari investment, reflecting the government’s push to pull capital into infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and other productive sectors.
The inauguration of the expanded Mojo logistics centre marked another piece of the same project. Located about 70 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa, the facility covers approximately 60 hectares and is designed to increase freight-handling capacity, improve cargo movement and strengthen regional connectivity. Abiy described it as an important step toward regional economic integration and the practical implementation of Ethiopia’s ambitions under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Who Pays for the Grand Strategy
Ethiopia entered 2019 with economic transformation still at the centre of the government’s agenda. Macroeconomic reform, private-sector development, manufacturing, agricultural commercialization, export growth and infrastructure expansion remain key priorities. The World Bank reported 9.2 percent economic growth for Ethiopia in fiscal year 2024/25, placing the country among Africa’s faster-growing economies. But the article also notes that strong headline growth does not automatically translate into broad-based prosperity. Low per-capita income, limited employment opportunities and pressure on household purchasing power remain significant challenges.
That gap matters. The state talks about transformation, but ordinary people still live with the costs when growth doesn’t reach the bottom. The same goes for the push into logistics, digitalization and foreign investment. The benefits are promised in the language of development, while the burdens of reform, trade dependence and capital attraction stay close to the ground.
Digital transformation is becoming increasingly central to Ethiopia’s development ambitions. In a message marking Pagume 5, described as “The Day of the Future,” Abiy said Ethiopia was moving “from paper to digital, from passive consumption to active innovation.” Officials from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development visited the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute as part of regional consultations on an IGAD AI framework and strategy. At the BRICS summit, Abiy linked AI directly to Africa’s development, arguing that technological advancement should contribute to economic transformation and digital sovereignty.
Climate resilience was another theme of the week. An assessment by AlphaGeo ranked Addis Ababa second globally and first in Africa among major cities for climate resilience, using geospatial artificial intelligence to assess climate exposure and adaptation capacity. A Green Growth Investment Forum held during the week called for stronger private-sector participation in green investment. Ethiopia’s preparations to host COP32 in 2027 provide another international platform for the government’s climate diplomacy.
The Sea, the Security State, and the Regional Bargain
Perhaps no issue carries a greater strategic regional dimension than Ethiopia’s pursuit of reliable and sovereign access to the Red Sea. Education Minister and economist Professor Berhanu Nega said, “You cannot have 130 million people sitting here without access to the sea at a time when sea access is very important for security as well as trade.” He said it is better to pursue the objective peacefully and for mutual benefit.
Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia Avraham Neguise said, “Empowering and strengthening Ethiopia and creating stability in the Red Sea is the interest of all, not only for Ethiopia,” adding that Ethiopia’s return to the Red Sea would be positive. Former US Ambassador to Ethiopia and George Washington University adjunct professor David Shinn suggested that Ethiopia’s maritime aspirations could potentially form part of a broader diplomatic understanding involving Ethiopia, Egypt and Eritrea.
The security situation around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb adds another layer of urgency. Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a critical maritime gateway between the Indian Ocean and the Suez Canal route. Continued insecurity can disrupt shipping, increase transportation and insurance costs and place additional pressure on already vulnerable global supply chains. For Ethiopia, which depends heavily on maritime trade, prolonged disruption can directly affect the cost and reliability of imports and exports. That’s the real bill. The people at the bottom pay it first.