Ethiopia has expressed strong interest in joining the Brics grouping of emerging economies.
- Membership would raise Ethiopia’s global profile, allow it to interact more closely with world powers and attract investment.
- Ethiopia’s deteriorating relations with Western powers make Brics membership appealing as an alternative.
- Ethiopia has strong economic ties with China and India, Brics’ two largest economies, and joining could spur more cooperation.
- Membership could give Ethiopia more leverage in IMF negotiations over its finances.
- Brics’ non-interference policy could provide political cover for Ethiopia and help avoid loan conditions from the West.
- Brics membership would help restore Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s image which was tarnished during Ethiopia’s civil war.
- Ethiopia’s economy is less than half the size of South Africa’s, the smallest Brics economy, but it hosts the AU and UNECA headquarters.