Addis Ababa, September 4, 2026 (FMC) — BRICS is creating broader opportunities for Africa to harness finance, technology transfer and strategic partnerships as the continent advances its economic transformation, Ethiopian Envoy to India Nebiyu Tedla said.
In an interview with DD India ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Nebiyu said the grouping provides an important platform for African countries to deepen engagement with major emerging economies and translate existing trade relations into more focused and strategic partnerships.
He noted that most BRICS members are already major trading partners of African countries, giving the grouping a strong economic foundation for broader cooperation. Moving beyond trade toward capacity building, innovative financing, technology transfer and strategic investment, he said, would further strengthen BRICS’ contribution to Africa’s development.
The envoy said African countries are pursuing transformation across sectors including agriculture, ICT, mining, connectivity, tourism and services. Stronger engagement with BRICS members in these areas, he added, could support national development priorities and expand opportunities for sustainable economic growth.
Nebiyu also highlighted the significance of BRICS’ expanded membership, saying the inclusion of countries with diverse civilizations, cultures, political systems and economic models has enhanced the grouping’s representativeness and created greater opportunities for members to exchange experience and learn from one another.
Ethiopia joined BRICS in 2024 and has since actively participated in the grouping’s senior officials’ and ministerial-level engagements under the presidencies of Russia, Brazil and India.
Regarding the upcoming summit, the envoy said Ethiopia expects the meeting to produce a consensual outcome document that provides strategic direction for future BRICS engagements while addressing the interests of all member countries.
He said the summit will also provide Ethiopia with an important multilateral platform to engage partner countries, including in efforts to mobilize support for its hosting of COP32 in 2027. The summit will likewise offer opportunities to advance bilateral engagement alongside the broader BRICS agenda.
Nebiyu said Ethiopia views BRICS as an important platform for advancing reform of the global financial architecture and strengthening the representation of developing and emerging economies in international decision-making.
He said the growing economic weight of the Global South needs to be reflected more fully in global institutions, including their decision-making and voting structures, arguing that developing countries should have a meaningful voice in shaping systems that directly affect their interests.
Ethiopia’s engagement with the New Development Bank (NDB), he said, forms part of this broader effort to expand development financing options for emerging economies. Ethiopia applied to join the NDB shortly after becoming a BRICS member in 2024, and its application was approved by the bank’s Board of Governors in December 2025.
Nebiyu said the relevant Ethiopian institutions have been working to complete the ratification process, with the Council of Ministers having finalized its part and the House of Peoples’ Representatives expected to complete the process.
NDB membership, he said, will give Ethiopia additional access to development finance and enable closer cooperation with other emerging economies and the bank’s management in advancing bankable development projects.
The envoy further stressed the need to bring global institutions in line with contemporary realities, noting that many of the institutions created in the aftermath of the Second World War need to become more representative and responsive to present-day challenges.
He identified reform of the United Nations Security Council as particularly important for developing countries and Africa, given the Council’s central role in addressing international peace and security issues that frequently affect the continent and the wider Global South.
Nebiyu said Ethiopia continues to support the common African position on Security Council reform, including the Ezulwini Consensus, which seeks equitable and meaningful African representation on the Council.
He said BRICS provides additional space for Ethiopia and other Global South countries to advance collective positions on reform of global governance and strengthen their role in shaping international institutions.
Turning to Ethiopia-India relations, Nebiyu described the relationship as rooted in longstanding historical and people-to-people ties, noting that Ethiopia established its diplomatic presence in India before the country gained independence and that formal diplomatic relations date back to 1949.
He said bilateral cooperation has continued to expand in agriculture, education, health, ICT and digital connectivity, pharmaceuticals and other sectors. India’s BRICS chairship, he added, has created further opportunities to connect multilateral cooperation with bilateral relations.
The envoy said Ethiopia seeks to translate understandings and collective decisions reached through BRICS into stronger bilateral cooperation with member countries, including India.
He also said efforts are underway to facilitate a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the BRICS Summit, building on Modi’s recent visit to Addis Ababa and the agreements reached during that visit.
On regional developments, Nebiyu described the Red Sea as a waterway of critical economic and strategic importance to both regional states and the wider international community.
He said tensions around the Red Sea add to existing fragilities affecting countries in the region, including Yemen, Sudan and Somalia, as well as the wider Middle East.
For Ethiopia, he said, access to the Red Sea is a matter of national security and national survival. Ethiopia therefore advocates peaceful access and supports the resolution of regional tensions and political differences through peaceful means, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.
Nebiyu said that while BRICS was established primarily as an economic and development platform, its growing importance also provides space for dialogue on wider international affairs. He noted that questions surrounding reform of the global financial architecture and multilateral institutions inherently carry broader political significance.
He said BRICS’ diversity gives its members an opportunity to exchange experiences across economic, political and social spheres, with countries such as Ethiopia and India bringing distinct civilizational histories, cultural diversity and development experiences to the platform.
The envoy said Ethiopia views BRICS as an increasingly important platform for strengthening cooperation among emerging and developing economies, advancing shared development interests and contributing to a more representative global governance system.