By Staff Writer

                                                                   Sept. 13, 2026 (ENA) 

Ethiopia entered the 2019 Ethiopian calendar year with an unusually broad national agenda—intensified diplomacy, investment promotion, economic transformation, digital innovation, reconciliation and a renewed focus on strategic maritime interests.

From September 6 to 12, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s participation in the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi dominated Ethiopia’s international agenda. His engagements with leaders of major emerging economies highlighted Addis Ababa’s determination to turn diplomacy into opportunities for investment, technology, trade and development cooperation.

At home, the government entered the new year emphasizing economic transformation, logistics development, digitalization, climate resilience and reconciliation. The release of more than 600 federal prisoners added a strong political and reconciliation dimension to the New Year, while renewed discussion over Ethiopia’s pursuit of reliable Red Sea access placed the country’s economic and security interests at the centre of a wider regional debate.

Taken together, the week’s developments point to an emerging national strategy: strengthen domestic productive capacity, widen international partnerships, attract capital and technology, deepen regional influence and pursue strategic interests while maintaining a commitment to cooperation and peaceful engagement.

A New Year of Renewal and Reflection

 

Ethiopia celebrated Enkutatash 2019 on September 11, following the five-day Pagume period that bridges the old and new years.

The occasion carried both cultural and political significance. Government leaders used the New Year to emphasize peace, national unity, development and continued reform. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and First Lady Zinash Tayachew shared a New Year meal with members of the local community, underscoring the traditional values of solidarity and togetherness.

Enkutatash is among Ethiopia’s most distinctive cultural celebrations. Observed on Meskerem 1, it marks the beginning of a new year in the Ethiopian calendar and coincides with the transition from the rainy season to clearer skies, green landscapes and the appearance of the yellow Adey Abeba flowers.

But Enkutatash represents more than the turning of a calendar page. It is a season of renewal, hope, reconciliation and togetherness.

Families gather, children visit relatives and friends, traditional foods are prepared and people exchange wishes for peace, health and prosperity. Young girls traditionally perform Hoya Hoye, moving from house to house and receiving gifts in return.

Across Ethiopia’s diverse communities, the New Year is celebrated through different traditions, music, dance, clothing and cuisine, while retaining a shared spirit of renewal. Churches and religious communities also hold special services, prayers and celebrations.

In Addis Ababa and other cities, the celebration is increasingly accompanied by public cultural programmes, concerts, exhibitions and community events.

Diplomatic representatives, including Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia Avraham Neguise and Cameroon’s Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue Monono, also extended New Year greetings to Ethiopians.

For many Ethiopians, Enkutatash is therefore both celebration and reflection—a moment to leave behind the difficulties of the previous year, strengthen relationships and enter the new one with renewed determination.

BRICS Puts Ethiopia’s Global South Strategy in Focus

 

The most prominent diplomatic development of the week was Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s participation in the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi.

For Ethiopia, the summit was more than a high-level diplomatic gathering. It offered a platform to deepen engagement with major emerging economies while advancing Addis Ababa’s broader effort to strengthen Africa’s role within an evolving global order.

Prime Minister Abiy called for stronger BRICS cooperation with Africa, particularly in minerals, renewable energy and industrial development. He stressed the importance of enabling African countries to move beyond exporting raw materials and capture greater value from their resources.

Artificial intelligence also featured prominently in Ethiopia’s message. PM Abiy urged BRICS countries to ensure that AI becomes a tool for Africa’s development rather than another source of technological inequality.

Debt sustainability and climate finance were also highlighted, linking the priorities of emerging economies with the development challenges confronting Africa.

Ethiopia further proposed a BRICS coordination track toward COP32, which Addis Ababa is scheduled to host in 2027. The proposal reflects Ethiopia’s effort to connect economic diplomacy, climate action and the development priorities of the Global South.

The strategic significance for Ethiopia is considerable. BRICS engagement can potentially expand access to markets, investment, technology and alternative sources of development finance while strengthening relations with some of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

In this sense, Ethiopia’s BRICS diplomacy is increasingly economic as well as political.

Bilateral Diplomacy Moves Toward Trade, Technology and Investment

The New Delhi summit also created space for a series of bilateral engagements.

Prime Minister Abiy’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin focused on strengthening the Ethiopia-Russia strategic partnership across areas including defence and security, trade, investment, education, technology, culture, climate and development.

 

His talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi explored opportunities to further 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.

The breadth of these engagements illustrates a broader shift in Ethiopia’s foreign economic policy: diplomatic relationships are increasingly being viewed as platforms for investment, trade, technology transfer, industrial cooperation and development partnerships.

Investment Diplomacy Takes Centre Stage

Investment promotion remained another defining feature of the week.

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. The engagement formed part of the government’s effort to increase private-sector participation in Ethiopia’s economic transformation.

Ethiopia is also seeking stronger economic ties with Gulf countries. President Taye called for increased Qatari investment, reflecting Addis Ababa’s wider effort to attract capital into infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and other productive sectors.

The message is increasingly clear: Ethiopia wants foreign investment not simply as a source of capital, but as a vehicle for expanding production, creating jobs, transferring technology and integrating the country more deeply into regional and global markets.

Mojo Logistics Hub Strengthens the Trade Infrastructure

 

The inauguration of the expanded Mojo logistics centre marked another significant development in Ethiopia’s economic transformation.

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.

Prime Minister Abiy described the project as an important step toward regional economic integration and the practical implementation of Ethiopia’s ambitions under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The significance of logistics extends beyond a single facility.

For a landlocked economy heavily dependent on international trade, efficient logistics can reduce transportation costs, improve export competitiveness and connect Ethiopian producers more effectively with regional and international markets.

It also complements Ethiopia’s broader maritime strategy: access to ports is only as useful as the inland systems that can move goods efficiently between production centres and maritime corridors.

Growth Continues, but Transformation Must Reach Households

Ethiopia entered 2019 with economic transformation remaining 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.

Yet 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.

The central question for the new year, therefore, is not simply whether Ethiopia can sustain growth, but whether growth can generate productive employment, strengthen household incomes and improve living standards.

Reconciliation at the Start of a New Year

Peace and reconciliation also featured prominently as Ethiopia entered 2019.

More than 600 federal prisoners, including prominent figures, were released around the New Year. The move was presented as part of broader efforts to promote reconciliation and create conditions for political dialogue.

Prime Minister Abiy urged those released to use the opportunity to begin the New Year in a spirit of peace and contribute to the outcomes of the national consultation process.

The releases gave the New Year a powerful reconciliation message.

At the same time, Ethiopia’s continuing security challenges demonstrate that reconciliation is not a single event but a longer national process. Turning political openings into sustainable peace remains one of the country’s most important—and difficult—tasks.

From Paper to Digital

Digital transformation is becoming increasingly central to Ethiopia’s development ambitions.

In a message marking Pagume 5, described as “The Day of the Future,” Prime Minister Abiy said Ethiopia was moving “from paper to digital, from passive consumption to active innovation.”

The ambition goes beyond expanding internet access. Ethiopia is seeking to develop domestic technological capacity, modernize public services and build an economy capable of producing technology and innovation.

Artificial intelligence is emerging as an important part of that strategy.

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.

For Ethiopia, AI has potential applications across agriculture, healthcare, education, finance, manufacturing and public administration.

The challenge now is implementation: building the infrastructure, skills, institutions and locally relevant solutions required to translate ambitious digital policies into measurable economic and social gains.

Green Growth and Climate Resilience

 

Climate resilience was another important 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.

The assessment comes as Ethiopia continues to position renewable energy, environmental restoration, green infrastructure and climate adaptation as integral components of its development strategy.

A Green Growth Investment Forum held during the week called for stronger private-sector participation in green investment, reflecting an effort to connect environmental priorities with economic opportunity.

Ethiopia’s preparations to host COP32 in 2027 provide an additional international platform.

Addis Ababa is seeking to use the conference to amplify Africa’s voice on climate finance while promoting renewable energy, green investment and climate-resilient development.

The broader challenge will be to ensure that climate action supports economic transformation rather than competing with it.

Red Sea Access: A Strategic Question Ethiopia Cannot Ignore

Perhaps no issue carries a greater strategic regional dimension than Ethiopia’s pursuit of reliable and sovereign access to the Red Sea.

For Ethiopia, the issue is increasingly connected to economic development, national security, trade and the country’s demographic trajectory.

Education Minister and economist Professor Berhanu Nega argued that Ethiopia’s growing population and economic requirements make the question of sea access increasingly difficult to postpone.

“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,” Berhanu said.

At the same time, he stressed that Ethiopia should pursue its objective peacefully and in a way that benefits neighbouring countries.

“It is better if we do this peacefully, and not only peacefully but for mutual benefit, so that all of us can benefit from this,” he said.

Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia Avraham Neguise also expressed support for Ethiopia’s pursuit of sea access, describing it as a matter with wider implications for Red Sea stability.

“Empowering and strengthening Ethiopia and creating stability in the Red Sea is the interest of all, not only for Ethiopia,” he said, adding that Ethiopia’s return to the Red Sea would be positive.

 

He further warned that instability along the maritime corridor could have consequences far beyond the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, affecting international trade and the global economy.

Other analysts have placed greater emphasis on negotiation and regional arrangements.

Former US Ambassador to Ethiopia and George Washington University adjunct professor David Shinn has suggested that Ethiopia’s maritime aspirations could potentially form part of a broader diplomatic understanding involving Ethiopia, Egypt and Eritrea.

These perspectives point to the central challenge facing Ethiopia’s maritime ambitions.

For Addis Ababa, dependable sea access is increasingly viewed as an economic and strategic necessity. For its neighbours, however, any new maritime arrangement must be carefully managed to avoid aggravating existing regional rivalries.

The issue will therefore require diplomacy as much as strategy.

Red Sea Insecurity Raises the Stakes

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.

This makes the maritime question part of a much larger economic equation.

Efficient inland logistics, diversified trade corridors and stable regional maritime arrangements are all essential to protecting Ethiopia’s economic interests.

The Bigger Picture

The first major week of Ethiopia’s 2019 Ethiopian calendar year brought together issues that may initially appear separate but are increasingly interconnected.

BRICS diplomacy is about more than foreign policy—it is also about markets, investment, technology and development finance.

Investment diplomacy is about more than attracting capital—it is about expanding productive capacity, creating jobs and strengthening Ethiopia’s position in global value chains.

The Mojo logistics centre is about more than cargo—it is part of the infrastructure required to make Ethiopia more competitive in regional and international trade.

Digital transformation and artificial intelligence are about more than technology—they are increasingly tied to productivity, public services, innovation and economic sovereignty.

Green development is about more than environmental protection—it is becoming an important source of investment, energy security and international influence.

And the Red Sea question is about more than geography—it sits at the intersection of trade, security, demography, regional diplomacy and Ethiopia’s long-term economic ambitions.

The release of more than 600 prisoners, meanwhile, gave the beginning of the new year a powerful message of reconciliation, even as continuing security challenges underline the difficult road ahead.

A New Year, A Larger Strategic Test

As Ethiopia begins 2019, the country faces the challenge of connecting these different priorities into one coherent national strategy.

Economic growth must translate into jobs and better living standards. Investment must strengthen productive sectors rather than simply increase capital inflows. Digitalization must deliver practical gains. Climate action must support development. Reconciliation must contribute to lasting peace. And diplomacy must protect Ethiopia’s economic and strategic interests while avoiding unnecessary regional confrontation.

The coming year will therefore be measured not only by the scale of Ethiopia’s ambitions, but by its ability to convert those ambitions into results.

Ethiopia is seeking a larger role in the global economy, deeper partnerships with emerging powers, greater technological capacity, stronger regional connectivity and a more secure place within the maritime geography of the Horn of Africa.

The strategic test will be to pursue these objectives while balancing national interests with regional cooperation and stability.

That balance may ultimately define Ethiopia’s journey through 2019—and shape how the country positions itself in an increasingly competitive and interconnected world.