BRICS members Russia and Ethiopia deepen partnership with bold industrial plans

As constituent members of the BRICS economic bloc, the Russian Federation and Ethiopia have sustained a mutually beneficial partnership, which both sovereign states are committed to consolidating moving forward.

• Russia and Ethiopia, both BRICS members, are strengthening their partnership with a focus on industrial collaboration and joint ventures.
• High-level talks in Addis Ababa included agreements on expanding cooperation in unmanned technologies, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and energy equipment.
• Both countries are interested in enhancing industrial capabilities, particularly by establishing Russian manufacturing facilities in Ethiopia's state-owned economic zone.
• Meetings also addressed further cooperation in agriculture and defense between the two nations.

Per a recent report, both BRICS member states have reached an agreement to bolster industrial collaboration and investigate potential joint production ventures.

This development follows high-level meetings conducted yesterday in Addis Ababa, coinciding with the official visit of Aleksey Gruzdev, Russia's Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade.

The Russian Deputy Minister met with Ethiopia's Minister of Industry, Melaku Alebel, to discuss cooperation between both states.

During the meeting, both parties talked about growing partnerships in areas such as unmanned technology, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural and energy gear.

The conversation brought to light a common interest in enhancing industrial capacities and creating cooperative production initiatives.

Exploring prospects within Ethiopia's first state-owned special economic zone was one of the visit's main objectives.

As a step toward greater industrial integration and technology transfer, both parties decided to look into the terms for localizing Russian manufacturing facilities in the East African country.

Outside of its meeting with the Melaku Alebel, the Russian delegation met with Ethiopia’s Minister of Agriculture, Addisu Arega, to discuss cooperation in agriculture, as seen in AllAfrica.

Additionally, Ethiopia's Air Force Commander, Yilma Merdassa, met with Russia's Deputy Minister of Defense, Vasily Osmakov.

Russia and Ethiopia’s 2025 trade figures

Amid a shifting global trade landscape and deepening economic ties between emerging partners, new data highlights a remarkable uptick in bilateral commerce.

Trade between Russia and Ethiopia surged to more than $435 million in 2025, nearly tripling from the previous year.

The Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Evgeny Terekhin, in February disclosed the figures in comments to Russian state media, attributing the sharp rise to stronger exports of fertilisers, agricultural machinery, and energy equipment from Russia, alongside growing Ethiopian sales of coffee, flowers, and textiles.

According to the ambassador, Ethiopia’s coffee exports to Russia rose from about $46 million in 2024 to an inflation-adjusted $123 million in 2025.