African countries seek to integrate Brics, says expert

African countries show interest in joining Brics to participate in a dialogue platform on equal terms. The statement was made by Zenebe Tafesse Kinfu, president of the Union of African Diasporas of Russia and the Association of the Ethiopian Community in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), senior researcher at the Institute of Scientific Information in Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, on the “BRICSdialogue” program on Brics TV.

According to the expert, the rapprochement of African countries with the group is related to the expansion of BRICS and the willingness of its members to establish partnerships on equal terms.

“BRICS is constantly developing. The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, spoke about fair international organizations at the Kazan Forum in 2024. Therefore, many African countries want to see an alternative, a fair international union”, he stated.

Kinfu added that BRICS operates in different areas, including economy, culture and the banking sector. According to him, African countries seek to participate in these discussions on equal terms with partners such as Russia, China and India.

The expert also highlighted food security and access to drinking water as priorities for the continent and stated that Russia can contribute in these areas.

“Africa’s main tasks today are to feed its population and guarantee access to drinking water. Therefore, the experience of countries like Russia in food production is very important,” he declared.

When talking about Ethiopia, Kinfu stated that the country decided to get closer to the BRICS, among other reasons, to promote internal reforms. He also highlighted the growth of the Ethiopian population: when he arrived in Russia, 30 years ago, the African country had 47 million inhabitants; currently, there are more than 135 million. According to the expert, one of Ethiopia’s challenges is to guarantee food and jobs for the growing population.

Kinfu also recalled that Ethiopia actively participates in international organizations. The country is home to the headquarters of the African Union, formerly the Organization of African Unity, as well as an international representation of the United Nations. According to him, the country also achieved, for the first time, a trade volume of US$11 billion (around R$57 billion).

Asked which country he would like to see in the Brics, Kinfu mentioned Zimbabwe.

Ethiopia joined BRICS on January 1, 2024, alongside Egypt, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, during the group’s Russian presidency. According to Ethiopia’s ambassador to Russia, Cham Ugala Uriat, participation in BRICS allowed the country to reach a new level of economic development.