Ethiopia Essential BRICS Partner that Brings Rich Experiences in Various Spheres: Indian Ambassador

Addis Ababa, January 18, 2026 (ENA)—Ethiopia is a very important BRICS partner that brings a lot of knowledge and expertise in all aspects of the BRICS activities, India’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Anil Kuma Rai, told ENA.

Recall that India has assumed the BRICS chairmanship on 1 January, 2026.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, the Ambassador said Ethiopia is a very important partner of BRICS that brings a lot of knowledge and expertise in all aspects of the BRICS activities.

The agendas for the year are to promote innovation and to create an ecosystem where the developing countries have their own way of dealing with things, he added.

As a major developing country of the African continent, Ethiopia is going to participate in most of the important events which are taking place throughout the year under BRICS.

For Ambassador Rai, Ethiopia’s participation strengthens the ideas of South-South solidarity, and also brings its rich experience.

The country brings rich experience in the form of green growth, urban renewal, green technologies; and also the leadership, which is needed to ensure peace during the turbulent times, he further explained.

With regard to cooperation between Ethiopia and India, Rai emphasized that Ethiopia is an important partner from the Global South, and there are multiple areas where both countries can cooperate.

Health is an important sector; so are agriculture and food security, he noted, adding that “in agriculture, we have specific technologies which are related to Nano-fertilizers, seed technology, food processing technology and climate tolerant varieties.”

Regarding innovation, the Ambassador said India is hosting the artificial intelligence impact summit in February, for which it has extended invitation to the Ethiopian government.

Artificial intelligence, which is also one of the agenda items for the government of Ethiopia, is a sector where we can work together, he stated.

On Ethiopia’s Homegrown Economic Reform, Ambassador Rai said the banking and financial sector and fin-tech sector has been opened up, noting that this is a sector where India is very strong and ready to share experiences.

India has recently successfully completed its digital strategy through digital public infrastructure, which gives a digital identity to citizens, and then becomes a backbone for delivery of services, he said. “We have committed ourselves to support Ethiopia in this direction.”

Ethiopia recently launched Digital Ethiopia 2030 (DE2030) in December 2025, building on Digital Ethiopia 2025 to drive comprehensive digital transformation, focusing on digital sovereignty, citizen-centric services, inclusive growth, digital infrastructure, and positioning Ethiopia as a tech hub.