The life & legacy of Kebede Anisa: The creator 

of ‘Imperialist’ oriented socialist motto’

"There were uninterrupted and well organized institutional memory as the media landscape were favorable to both seasoned and aspiring journalists. For instance, as a senior journalist Kebede mentored protégés who had later become accomplished writers such as late GebreKirstos Desta, Fikre Tolossa (Ph.D), and late Assefa Chebo."

BY WORKU BELACHEW

Former Editor-In-Chief of The Ethiopian Herald

Book Review:

Author of the book: Mesereteab Kebede Anisa

Title of the book: ኢትዮጵያ ትቅደም

Place of publication: N/A

Year of publication: 2025

Medium: Amharic

Genre: Biography

Pages: 188

 

The book centers on the life and legacy of Kebede Anisa who served as the Editor-In-Chief of  የኢትዮጵያ ድምጽ-  a newspaper published between 1963 1970.

Most interestingly, well ahead of its final demise, the imperial government of Ethiopia midwifed a rallying motto for the forthcoming socialist Ethiopia.

Much to everyone’s surprise the motto was originated in the so-called liberal world, but imposed on the socialist state of Ethiopia for more than a decade. A book that saw the light of day later in July last year titled ‘ኢትዮጵያ ትቅደም’’ which roughly translates to ‘Ethiopia first’ once again unearthed the catch phrase to be a subject of public discussion.

Mesereteabe Kebede, son of the renowned journalist, Kebede Anisa, authored the book that revolves around his father’s life and legacy.

About የኢትዮጵያ ድምጽ (Voice of Ethiopia)

A newspaper with a nameplate ‘The Voice of Ethiopia’ was not unknown among Ethiopian elites who lived in the US in late 1940s. A paper bearing a masthead ‘The Voice of Ethiopia’ was founded by Dr. Melaku E. Bayen in Harlem, New York, in 1937. It serviced to expose the atrocities of the Fascist Italy and to garner the supports of Americans, mainly the black community, in the years between 1936 and 1941. It was published under the auspicious of the Ethiopian World Federation (EWF) and folded when the founder Melaku ceased to breathe in 1940. 

Similar newspapers published in both Amharic and English with masthead ‘The Voice of Ethiopia’ had been connected to their predecessor only in spirit. This one came to light after Ethiopians successfully expelled the fascist occupant. It was published in Ethiopia, and the entire editorial leadership was quite different from the previous one.  

The bilingual newspaper, The Voice of Ethiopia, began to circulate in Addis Ababa and other major towns from 1965 onwards.  A patriotic association that came to view well ahead of the Italian occupation, ‘Yager Fiker Mahber,’ was in charge of the paper’s publication. The association was established in 1935 with the guidance of Makonnen Habtewold to promote culture and unity in the face of a looming fascist aggression.  

The newspaper provided a platform for matured discussion on  social, economic and political topics— both local and international— and succeeded in attracting a wider readership, as various sources attest. The paper had been competitive both in circulation and quality. It was also reported to have reached a record volume of  distribution in the history of the Ethiopian newspapers’ circulation.

 

The America First Committee takes credit for popularizing ‘America First’

A motto serving clashing ideologies  

    

The America First Committee (AMC) took the credit for popularizing the phrase ‘America First’ in the 1940s. The movement of AMC was apparently a noninterventionist that opposed the US’s entry into WWII.   Current US Pres. However, Donald Trump revived the catch phrase to mobilize the American people behind him. The idea is to make America Great Again (MEGA) and keep it as a ‘world police’.

But, the coining of ‘America First’ even predates the 1940s. Library of Congress has a record on this. The phrase was used in a pamphlet authored by Walker, J.  who tried to critically look into the then  US president’s policy. Woodrow Wilson served as the 28th US president (1913-1921) and Walker questioned the administration in that pamphlet:   ”Has he been for "America first"? Has he been for the great mass of the American people, or has his administration stood in with the special interests?”

 

Kebede brought the idea of ‘Ethiopia first’ from the US where he had a profound exposure. His first visit to the U.S. happened in 1965 as an Editor-In-Chief of the paper accompanied by his counterpart Berhanu Zerihun, his counterpart from Addis Zemen. Kebede discovered that one American paper, the New York World, carried ‘America first’ as its motto. “What a captivating slogan, what if I adopt it to my own paper!” Kebede told himself as it is recounted in the book.

      

The book dedicates a chapter to explain why the newspaper chose the editorial slogan.  The idea was to inspire both public officials and the wider public to focus on the bigger picture of Ethiopia – encouraging unity and discouraging rattling over trivial and short-lived matters.

But his earnest intention was misinterpreted by a few quarters. The matter escalated and the emperor summoned Kebede at his palace. Rumors spread that the newspaper was boldly demanding the emperor to relinquish power. As it is narrated in the book, the emperor asked him to explain why he chose that particular wording. Kebede explained the reason clearly and confidently. The emperor eventually appreciated him for the good job and Kebede breathed a sigh of relief.

 

The catch-phrase that served the paper from 1965-1970 had, however, been fading out from public psyche at least for four years. No body regarded it to regain traction by the forthcoming decade and plus years.

The military junta ( aka the Derg), a collection of 120 soldiers who overthrew the Imperial regime in Ethiopia revived the slogan in 1974. Major Mengistu HaileMariam, then chairperson of the Committee (the Derg), in one of their meetings walked to a chalkboard to write ‘Ethiopia first’ in Ahmaric. On July of the same year, ‘Ethiopia first’ was proclaimed on mass media as the rallying moto of the revolution.

Heyday of print media

The book highlighted on how the Ethiopian media landscape, particularly the print media, operated during the imperial time. One can argue that the period was the heyday of the Ethiopian print media for various reasons. For one thing, the imperial government attached huge emphasis on the daily and weekly publications. Assignees at the helm of the newspapers and the professionals were well educated—most of them got their master’s degrees in reputable international universities in the US, Israel, UK and what have you. They left their lasting legacy in the Ethiopian journalism in general, for another.

There were uninterrupted and well organized institutional memory as the media landscape were favorable to both seasoned and aspiring journalists. For instance, as a senior journalist Kebede mentored protégés who had later become accomplished writers such as late GebreKirstos Desta, Fikre Tolossa (Ph.D), and late Assefa Chebo.

Image: Google 

The media context of the time itself brought an added advantage to the print media. Radio and TV broadcast had not been 24/7 as it is today. Broadcast services were limited to a few scheduled hours. Hence, the public depended on newspapers and magazines to update themselves on local and international information. It was during this time that tens of thousands of copies of newspapers were published in Ethiopia.

Some government officials who got modern education were also regarded the media in general as a vital mirror— reflecting both strengths and short comings.     Bitweded Zewde GebreHiwot who served as a mayor of Addis for about a decade  used to encourage journalists to critically review the development efforts in the city and spotlight on emerging concerns. Zewde endeavored to modernize the city by constructing standard road infrastructure, the iconic municipal building in Addis took shape during his tenure. Zewde wanted to get reflections of journalists on his projects and make use of the outcomes to rectify the mistakes. (Ethiopia Tikdem page 75).

 

But, as the book vividly showed, journalistic practice of the time did not go without challenges. Government officials usually got disappointed with the reports that the print media carried. And journalists were intimidated as a result.  

 

Kebede himself was called to the emperor’s court for the second time. This time due to his critique on the government’s reckless procurement practices. To make it more clear, the Ethiopian fiscal year ends on July 7 (Sene 30). And for much of the preceding months, government entities remained complacent–only to rush for spending their budgets in the remaining two and three months. Often, they made irrelevant and wasteful procurement just to exhaust their annual budget. Kebede  took a stand towards this daunting trend and wrote an editorial piece. The editorial piece touched officials’ weak spots and they deliberately twisted the facts and hoodwinked the emperor as if Kebede blatantly criticized the government.  

Due to this, he was again brought before the imperial court. Kebede elaborated his intentions as it was not to attack but to inform the officials in using the allotted public fund wisely and properly. Luckily, the emperor again gave him a pat on his shoulder and set him free. (Ethiopia Tikdem page 94).

But there were several times that government officials used to convince the emperor that led journalists to face some consequences.

For instance, Mengistu Gedamu, and Asaminew GebreWold were Kebede’s contemporaries, and both were renowned journalists. Their peeled eye on officials’ wrongdoings led them to lose their positions. The most courageous, at times controversial journalist, Mengistu Gedamu, was rather tolerated, at least the imperial government did not take lethal measure against him. It was during the Derg’s era that the lives of both journalists were sadly taken. Another journalist who reached to the pinnacle of journalism career was Ahadu Saboure. Lethal means of silencing journalists was not the order of the day as his own words indicated though he described the measure took by the government as “severe”.

A couple of stories that I wrote angered authorities….One was the article I did on the proceedings of the trial of the leader of the 1960 abortive coup, in which I described Brigadier-General Mengistu Neway as an immaculate officer whose courage and intellectual qualities dominated the courtroom. Immediately after publication, I was picked up by officers of the Presidential guard and secretly exiled to Asela, Arsi Province … I was treated humanely, permitted to attend church under the escort of a guard, and allowed a weekly visit by my wife, who brought me newspapers and other necessities”. (Ethiopian Observer.com April 4, 2017.)

As the saying goes, ‘from the frying pan to the fire,’ journalists were brutally treated during the Derg period.  Ethiopia lost most of its dear journalists such as Ba’alu Girma and Abe Gubegna in this period. Their killings had remained mysterious to date.

 

Mesereteab delve into the reason that his father survived the brute period. Kebede was assigned in Wollo as a program and development general manager where he worked tirelessly to mitigate the devastating effects of the famine that was ravaging the region at the time.   

Kebede and newspaper

As an eyewitness, this writer noticed Kebede’s love for the print media. Anytime you meet him, he was carrying newspapers and magazines of both local and international editions in the inside pocket of his suit jacket. If it is your first encounter with him, you may be taken by surprise when he draw half folded newspapers or magazines from his pocket to show you a recent story that backs his argument on a certain topic.

It is also recounted in the book that he used to say “If I’m shot dead, burry me wrapping up my body with newspapers. He said this during the period of red terror—a time marked by pervasive fear and killing. People lived with uncertainty during that period. Both the Derg and EPRP resorted to lethal measures against anyone who was perceived ‘enemy’.    

 Kebede upheld the principle of ‘balance’, a very important element in news reporting. Quite a few journalists in Ethiopia who work for a private media find it hard to offer constructive criticism of the government’s activities. Often, it looked like private media should take bold positions in completely standing opposite to the government’s actions. By the same token, public media sphere tend to give blind eye to government’s missteps. Here, Kebede used to advice both sides to seek a middle ground.

Kebede witnessed and reported a democratic election in the US. He was among the journalists who got the opportunity to travel to the US representing Ethiopian Voice along with his colleague Bihanu Zerihun who then represented Addis Zemen to report  Presidential elections. Comparing the media practices in the US and that of ours in 2005, he noticed that the private media fully inclined to the opposition politics and their reports were highly imbalanced. For him, such unbalanced practice would not serve any purpose other than sowing enmity among the media and incumbent governments.

 

Quotable: As Editor-In-Chief of print media: Kebede said he wouldn’t take a single sip of beer until he was utterly certain that the newspaper’s publication had begun.

Another legacy of Kebede could be starting to publish a byline. He also claimed that he started accompanying news articles by a byline in the newspapers.  Ethiopians are humble and do not want to take a credit for a job well done. This may have roots in the spirituality of the people, they often believe that a particular job is accomplished with a divine guidance and give the credit to the creator. The first editions of Addis Zemen itself did not publish the editor-in-Chief’s name.

Limitation

The book is highly relevant, especially for anyone interested in having a glimpse into the history of Ethiopian media. Kebede and his contemporaries were pioneers who set the example for later generations of Ethiopian journalists. As a journalist, this author himself drew inspiration from much of their work. If one explores the archives of the Ethiopian Press Agency, for instance, it is striking how these writers organized their stories, structured their arguments, and demonstrated strong language command. However, the book unfortunately does not give the reader adequate chance to read actual writings by Kebede and his contemporaries. Including at least some articles authored or edited by Kebede would have allowed readers to better appreciate his voice and contribution. It is the author’s hope that future editions of the book will address this gap.

 

Ed.’s Note: The author was former Editor-In-Chief of The Ethiopian Herald.

He may be contacted at workuasfaw.asfaw@gmail.com

The Ethiopian Herald , the oldest African paper that midwifed UNECA, OAU/AU

Herald's seamless role  during the bitter struggle for Africans’ independence is not well sung.

Today marks the 82nd anniversary of the Pan-African paper, The Ethiopian Herald. The oldest paper that has amplified the voices of Africa during the fierce struggle against colonialism and apartheid. 

One may argue that Herald represented the true voices Africa. If anything, other papers published both in the late 18th C and early 19th C onwards had protected the interests of then colonialists. 

To anyone's dismay, most search engines and AI bots such as Chat GPT-4 do not include The Ethiopian Herald when you feed them with key words such as 'oldest newspapers in Africa'.  

The fact of the matter is that The Ethiopian Herald played a seamless role in Africa's battle to remove the shackles of all forms of colonialism. No doubts, time will come soon to shed light on the paper's contribution in this regard. 

Year / Period	Region / Country	Newspaper(s) & Language
1900	Uganda	Mengo Notes (Uganda Notes), English
1902–1905	East Africa	African Standard → East African Standard, etc.
1903	South Africa	Ilanga Lase Natal, Zulu/English
1908–1920s	Mozambique	O Africano, O Brado Africano
1911	Uganda	Munno, Luganda
1912	South Africa	Abantu‑Batho (ANC), multilingual
1916	Namibia	Allgemeine Zeitung, German
1917+	Malawi / Zimbabwe	Central African Times / Nyasaland Times
1920s	Uganda/Kenya	Sekanyola, Gambuze, Dobzi Iya Buganda
1926–1930s	Nigeria / West Africa	Nigeria Daily Times, nationalist titles
1937	Nigeria	West African Pilot, Nigerian nationalist
1927	Dahomey (Benin)	La Voix du Dahomey, French-language

List of 'prominent' papers of the 20 C generated by Chat GPT-4 

Herald did not only witness the most important turning points in the history of Africa.  It was also the driving force for the creation of those crucial unfolding. The establishment and growth of UNECA cannot be imagined without Herald. When UNECA was inaugurated in Addis Ababa in 1958, Herald also became a daily paper, except Mondays, from a previous weekend paper. 

The brainchild of Pan Africanism, the OAU/AU, came to view in just five years after UNECA took shape. Herald advocated for the creation of a united Africa, and has continued to reinforce Africa's unity.  

The activities behind long-established papers such as Herald, at the newsroom and in the printing house is never the same though. Both the process and outcome are becoming more and more efficient due to the ever-evolving tech-driven solutions. 

As we mark the day, we also contemplate about innovation, a phenomenon that is driving our world at a dazzling speed, significantly impacting the way we live. 

From accessing information at the click of the button, to online interviews, design and layout works to web-printing, newspapers and magazines have shown tremendous transformations both in content quality and appearance.

In less than two decades, Herald turns digits to a hundred. No one will tell whether or not we happen to witness the day. And no one knows whether the print media will perish or flourish in the next decades. 

It is unpredictable to determine the type of gadget we use in those days both to disseminate and access information.  

We can say one thing for certain. That is all about READING. 

Reading cannot be substituted with other means of receiving information and knowledge. 

There are solid reasons to back the assertion. 

But let’s quote this from The University of the People, accessed on July 2, 2025.

Reading is a neurobiological process that works out your brain muscles. As you do so, you can help to slow down cognitive decline and even decrease the rate at which memory fades. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have even found that reading reduces the level of beta-amyloid, which is a protein in the brain that is connected to Alzheimer’s. Who knew that reading could have physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits?

 

Prominent researchers /writers such as Bahru Zewde (Professor Emeritus at AAU), late Prof. Richard Pankhurst published various works on it. Authors like Abe Gubegna edited the paper.

 

Call for “fairer world” falling on listen ears

BY WORKU BELACHEW

Developing countries’ have amplified their most pressing concerns in their speeches at the UN General Assembly 2023 held in New York.  The centerpiece of the arguments they have made may be abridged as: “We, developing countries, are fade up with the current exploitative international system”. The leaders once again bring the urgency of creating a fairer global system before the august international body, the UN.

In his speech, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen had this to say: “We call for a more inclusive and effective multilateral mechanism that works fairly for developing countries.”

He hailed the BRICS for championing the call.    “Ethiopia  is grateful to have been invited to join the group.

Unless the world heeds to the concerns of the developing countries, the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals itself will be a far cry from being successful.

Africa, for instance, a continent dubbed as the “treasure chest of the world”, has not been able to utilize its resources to create jobs to its bulging youth population.

Diametrically opposite to the continent’s potential, the productive youth population only marches to their death in an attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has called the Central Mediterranean as the deadliest first quarter on record since 2017. It says over 400 migrants died only between January and March of 2023.  The April 2023 report further unveils the fact that over 31, 000 migrants arrived in Italy over the preceding months of the year. Most reports show that the majority of migrants originate from the Sub-Saharan Africa.

Politicians and scholars alike have, therefore, pin hope on reinforcing multilateral bodies such as the BRICS that could tackle the grim scenario befallen developing states.  

Over 40 countries submitted official requests to join BRICS. Countries including Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Venezuela, Vietnam, Cuba, Honduras, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, the State of Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia had expressed their interests formally ahead of the August 2023 summit.

It seems that the bloc wants to better represent developing countries drawing members from each and every region and sub-region. Africa has three representatives in the bloc, South Africa, Ethiopia and Egypt. India, China and Russia are generally from Asia while Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE from Middle East Asia. Latin America’s interests and benefits could be reflected through Argentina and Brazil.

BRICS will represent 30 percent of World’s Population and 47 percent of the global population with the new membership taking effect as of January 1^st, 2024, reports show.

The Ethiopian context

Despite the undesirable ramifications of the global pandemic and the two-year war at its north, not to mention a lingering skirmishes in some parts, Ethiopia’s geo-political location, the over 110 million population, and its resilient economy have made the country to join the BRICS. IMF 2023 forecast for Ethiopia shows as real GDP grows by 6.1 %. 

Clean energy and water supplies, including a relative low cost as compared to other areas, over 53 million active labor force, strategic location to the Middle East, Europe as well as Asia, Ethio-Djibouti electric powered railway, wide-ranging incentive packages, inter alia, placed Ethiopia among the top FDI destinations in Africa.

The BRICS + countries would seize these opportunities to expand their investment. And access to finance form NDB and may be the BRICS CRA would further augment doing business among themselves.

For Ethiopia, a country that has already a time-tested ties with both the BRICS and BRICS+ countries, the blessings coming from the new horizon is immense. At current, the bilateral trading between Ethiopia and members of the BRICS is not that significant, or the balance is skewed towards partners.

One of the most important trade and investment partner of Ethiopia, China, do business with Ethiopia worth in billions. Pertinent information shows that currently Ethiopia-China bilateral trade volume, in 2022 for instance, strikes at USD 2.67 billion. As of the end of 2022, the Chinese investment stock in Ethiopia stands at USD 3.257 billion. It is highly likely for this to expand more and more, per the information of Chinese Embassy in Addis.

If we take Ethiopia-India bilateral trade, India’s export to Ethiopia is worth 2,758, 000, 000 USD. The country’s import from Ethiopia’s market is 84,000,000 USD, per the information obtained from Indian Embassy in Ethiopia.  

More than 650 Indian companies are registered and as per the estimate, their cumulative investment is worth 5 billion USD. Areas they are engaging in include but not limited to  Plastic, Steel, Pharma, Textile, Vehicle assembling, Paper and Printing, Tanneries ( Leather Processing),    Meat production, Juite Bags, Cenent/PP Bags, Shoes, Transformers, Horticulture, Floriculture and ICT.

Ethiopia’s trade and investment relations with the other BRICS member, Russia, are making a steady growth.  Russia’s trade turnover with Ethiopia shows a  68.2 % decline in 2022 ,when compared to the preceding 2021. It is due to the reduction in the volume of Russian supplies. The volume falls form 225.2 million USD in 2021 to 71.7 million USD in 2022. On the flip side, Ethiopia’s imports increased by 18 % from 30.5 million USD to 36 million USD. Coffee supply is responsible for the expansion of the volume. It progressed from 20.7 million USD to 27.9 million USD.

Yet, the bilateral trade is peaking steadily between the months of January and April 2023 as compared to the same period of last year’s.  The volume is said to have upped by 56% from 10 million USD to 15.6 million USD. Russian export to Ethiopia has grown by more than double to 3.3 million USD. Its import is raised to 12.3 million USD from previous 8.5 million marking a 44.7 % increment.

Though the figures are not that significant, Ethiopia do business with almost all BRICS+ members, in the service sector for instance, Ethiopian flies to all the countries.

Global Chairman, Fairfax Africa Fund Zemedeneh Nigatu  subscribes the fact that Ethiopia’s economy is one of the resilliant ones. He says even during COVID, Ukrane-Russia conflict and other internal issues, IMF forecast the country’s economy to hit 6.1 percent. It represents one of the fastest five largest economies in Sub-Saharan Africa,

In a nutshell, Ethiopia’s entrance to the bloc is likely to expand its fast-paced economy. There are also concrete advantages that the bloc could secure. Among other things, as Ethiopia is traditionally considered the gateway to Africa. BRICS + countries would access a market of a billion plus population and a lucrative investment destination.

Expanded BRICS shapes Int’l system for the better

BY WORKU BELACHEW

The five-member economic, if not geo-political, bloc is presenting itself as a competitive organ designed to fit in the interests of the developing countries that have long complained about the existing international system for it is tilted to the advantage of the developed world.

The club of five is enticing the interests of more economies from the global south with many of them making accession requests.

Figures speak volume as to the collective force Brazil, India, China, Russia and South Africa (BRICS) wields on the global socio-economic beam balance.

Data accessed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and sent to this writer show, “the bloc at its current standing accounts for 26.4% of the world’s total land area and 41.93% of the world’s population. A 2021 estimation shows the fact that the five countries account for 25.24% of the world’s economy and 17.9% of the world’s trade.” According to the data, in 2022, the voting power of the five countries at the World Bank stands at 14.06%, and the total quota at the IMF is 14.15%.

With major regional economies like Ethiopia possibly greeted to the group, the BRICS inevitably transforms itself into a power which could shake up the existing international system for the better.

Developing countries from all geographic regions are submitting requests to join the emerging club with Ethiopia formally expressing interest to be part of it last June. South Africa’s, Asia and Middle-East Deputy Director-General at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Amb. Anil Sooklal unveiled a list of countries that are desirous of joining the entity. Argentina, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Gabon, and Kazakhstan are on the list, Reuters reported on July 20, 2023.

There are enough reasons for developing countries to look for such alternative alliances.

Currently, global multilateral institutions from the UN, WB to IMF and what have you are receiving bitter censure for being skewed towards the West. Many slam Western countries for exercising their voting power to attach strings on financial grants and loans coercing receiving parties into accepting their policy prescriptions—often exacerbating problems and undermining well-grounded societal values.

Dawit Mezegebe is lecturer at Dilla University and a Ph.D. candidate at the Center for African and Asian Studies of the Addis Ababa University (AAU-CAAS) and is also a member of the African Studies Professional Association think-tank. He presented a paper in April 2023 at AAU-CAAS Pan-African Seminar Series entitled: The BRICS and Africa: Political-Economic Opportunities and Challenges.

He shared some of his findings and views with this writer in a recent interview.

BRICS vs global financial architecture

The existing International Financial Institutions (IFIs) are less “international” and are more “Western-controlled”, Dawit argues. Developing countries are pressured to satisfy the stringent preconditions of IFIs to be eligible to access finance. If you take IMF, for instance, it is all about ‘balance of payment’, when a country faces challenges to pay for its import or service, it may access finance after fulfilling policy conditionality.

The conditions might be unfit for your development context or may go against the socio-political situation of your country. Such facet contributed to the under-development of Africa; you can take the failed Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) as an example here.

[Arguments have not still saturated over the impacts of SAP on developing countries. Some research findings show that IMF’s conditions had contributed to the dwindling of standard of living. Its conditionalities included liberalizing the economy, focusing on export-oriented economic efficiency, privatizing pubic assets, and reducing government expenditures, among others. Others argue that stable government along with proper investment in pro-poor projects, and social services including health and owning policies to encourage domestic support could have made SAP a success story].

In this regard, Dawit says the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) is, however, always attached to commodity or is gold paid- sets an advantage for the developing countries. It is based on the amount of goods that they provide to the market that the exchange rate is balanced. The CRF sends a clear message for the IMF and the World Bank to rethink whatever position they pursue with regard to the under-developed countries.

Meanwhile, other commentators are optimistic about the potential advantage the bloc can give to regions like Africa.

Being home to over a billion people, Africa cannot take decisions on critical matters at the UNSC for instance. Africa can leverage the opportunity the bloc could offer to push for the reform of global institutions including the UN.

Cavince Adhere, a Kenyan scholar of International relations backs Dawit’s position. The former recently told China Daily Global Edition this; “in an increasingly polarized world, BRICS can create an enabling avenue for African countries to fashion a more inclusive global economic and political order which has been dominated by Western powers.”

He believes that developing countries, joining BRICS, can align themselves with a group that seeks to promote multi-polarity and a more equitable international system.

Various arguments run as to the essence of the BRICS. Some say it is a counterweight to G-7, a grouping of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Others are still arguing that the BRICS expansion is perceived with a grain of salt among the countries of the global north. Recently France requested to attend the BRICS’ 15th Leaders’ Summit to be held in Johannesburg slated for August 22-24/2023. But Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswomen Maria Zakharova questioned the motive behind the request as saying: “It would be nice if they [Macron’s office] told why they want [to attend the summit]. Do they want to once again make some contact to show Paris’ activity or is it a ‘Trojan horse’ of some sort — so let them explain.”

BRICS’ Gateway to Africa

In June this year, Ethiopia has formally shown interest for BRICS membership. Dawit buys the fact that Ethiopia’s economy is one of the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Due to this, Ethiopia has a lot to offer to the club socially, economically, geo-politically and culturally.

He has even attempted to identify what the grouping could benefit from Ethiopia. Since Addis hosts a large swath of foreign missions, being the third international seat next to New York and Geneva, the BRICS can establish its biggest African liaison office here to get its critical jobs done efficiently.

Geopolitically, Ethiopia’s importance is unparalleled. If one goes back to history, Judaism, Christianity and Islam penetrated through Ethiopia. It still positively influences the region both economically and in peace and security. The country has a tested-experience in pacifying the region and beyond alongside the AU and UN.

The country is a gateway to Africa. Ethiopian stretches wings in almost all major destinations of the world including in member states of the club; the industrial parks here are also creating extra advantage to the bloc. “I would argue that it is a huge achievement for the BRICS to accept Ethiopia’s request.”

Besides, there are enough scholars that subscribe to the fact that Ethiopia is considered as the mouthpiece of Africa. It did so with issues of climate change, just to cite. Africa was represented by Ethiopia in Copenhagen, Denmark, UN’s climate change conference back in 2009. It advocated for a billion people of the continent to pay 100 billion USD by 2020. Last June, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (Ph.D.) also attended the Paris Summit for New Global Financing Pact in which he “emphasized on the need for implementing past pledges with resolve,” saying; “we should keep past pledges in climate finance and on the rechanneling” of Special Drawing Rights amounting to at least $100 Billion to MDBs [Multilateral Development Banks] such as the African Development Bank.”

No doubt, the situation is a win-win for both sides. Ethiopia can better access BRICS’ market, technology and knowledge. The New Development Bank (NDB) and the BRICS currency are no less important.

Ethiopia has a greater chance of joining the club. Its bilateral relations with almost all BRICS’ states are the oldest ones. Ethiopia and South Africa, for instance, are tied with a historic brotherhood. Ethiopia’s contribution to South Africa’s fight against the wicked apartheid regime was ever-indelible from anyone’s memory.

The relations whether you take it individually or collectively have great impact on Ethiopia’s accession to the bloc.

Besides, Ethiopia is a founding member of several global institutions. It played an enormous role for Pan-Africanism to take institutional shape in the form of the OAU/AU. The country is also a founding member of the UN as well. That is why the East African country plays a big role in the international political and economic dynamics. For scholars like Dawit, membership is a positive boost to the BRICS and will help it expand its impact in Africa.

The bottom line is—the emerging bloc looks like to be a remedy to rectify the unfair global order. Hopefully, the next summit of the leaders will take the right decision to include more regional economies and accelerate the effort toward the creation of a fair and balanced global order.

 The Ethiopian Herald August 20/2023

Russia and Africa: Joining efforts for peace, progress and successful future

In July 27-28, St Petersburg will host the Second Russia-Africa Summit and Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum. On the eve of these large-scale representative events which will bring together heads of states and governments, entrepreneurs, academia and public figures, I would like to share my vision of the development of Russia-Africa relations with the readers of The Ethiopian Herald on the African continent, outlining priority cooperation areas for the coming decades of the 21st century.

The partnership relations between our country and Africa have strong, deep roots and have always been distinguished by stability, trust and goodwill. We have consistently supported African peoples in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression. We have provided assistance in developing statehood, strengthening their sovereignty and defence capability. Much has been done to create sustainable foundations for national economies. By the mid-1980s, with the participation of our specialists, over 330 large infrastructure and industrial facilities have been built in Africa, such as power plants, irrigation systems, industrial and agricultural enterprises, which are successfully operating to this day, and continue to make a significant contribution to the continent’s economic development. Tens of thousands of African doctors, technical specialists, engineers, officers and teachers have received education in Russia. I would like to specifically mention the traditionally close cooperation on the world stage, the firm and consistent advocacy rendered by the USSR and then Russia to African countries at international fora. We have always strictly adhered to the “African solutions to African problems” principle, standing in solidarity with Africans in their struggle for self-determination, justice and their legitimate rights. We have never tried to impose on partners our own ideas about the internal structure, forms and methods of management, development goals and ways to achieve them. Unchanged remains our respect for the sovereignty of African states, their traditions and values, their desire to independently determine their own destiny and freely build relationships with partners. We highly value the honestly-gained capital of friendship and cooperation, traditions of trust and mutual support that Russia and African countries share. We are brought together by a common desire to shape a system of relations based on the priority of international law, respect for national interests, indivisibility of security, and recognition of the central coordinating role of the United Nations. Today, the constructive, trustful, forward-looking partnership between Russia and Africa is especially significant and important. Major centres of economic and political power and influence are emerging in the world, which are asserting themselves more and more insistently, demanding that they be reckoned with. We are sure that a new multipolar world order, the contours of which are already seen, will be more just and democratic. And there is no doubt that Africa, along with Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, will take its worthy place in it and finally free itself from the bitter legacy of colonialism and neo-colonialism, rejecting its modern practices. Russia welcomes the rising international authority of individual states as well as Africa as a whole, their desire to make their voices strongly heard and to take the continent’s problems into their own hands. We have always supported the constructive initiatives of our partners. We stand for granting African countries their rightful place in the structures that determine the world’s fate, including the UN Security Council and the G20, as well as for reforming the global financial and trade institutions in a way that meets their interests. Regrettably, we see that the situation in the world today is far from stable. The long-standing conflicts that exist in nearly every region are deepening, and new threats and challenges are emerging. And Africa feels the burden of global challenges like no other part of the world. In such a challenging environment, we look forward to working with our African partners to shape a non-discriminatory agenda for cooperation. The strategic areas of our interaction are set by the decisions of the first Russia-Africa Summit held in Sochi in late October 2019. The Russia-Africa Partnership Forum was established for their effective implementation. We have set up bilateral intergovernmental commissions for trade, economic, scientific and technological cooperation with many countries of the continent, and the network of Russian embassies and trade missions in Africa will be expanded. Further instruments are being actively developed to better structure economic relations and make them more dynamic. I would like to note with satisfaction that Russia’s trade turnover with the African countries increased in 2022 and reached almost 18 billion US Dollars. However, we are all well aware that the potential of our trade and economic partnership is much higher. Russian companies are interested in working more actively on the continent in the sphere of high technologies and geological exploration, in the fuel and energy complex, including nuclear power, in the chemical industry, mining and transport engineering, agriculture and fishery. The changes taking place in the world require the search for solutions related to the establishment of new transport and logistical chains, the formation of a monetary and financial system, and mechanisms of mutual settlements that are safe and free from unfavourable external impacts. We understand the importance of uninterrupted food supplies for the socio-economic development and political stability of the African states. On this basis, we have always paid great attention to issues related to the supply of wheat, barley, maize and other crops to African countries. We have done so both on a contractual basis and free of charge as humanitarian aid, including through the United Nations Food Programme. Thus, in 2022, Russia exported 11.5 million tonnes of grain to Africa, and almost 10 million tonnes more were delivered in the first half of 2023 – despite the sanctions imposed on our exports, which severely hamper the supply of Russian food products to developing countries, complicating transport logistics, insurance arrangements and bank payments. Many have probably heard of the so-called “grain deal,” whose initial purpose was to ensure global food security, reduce the threat of hunger and help the poorest countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America – the reason why Russia undertook the obligation to facilitate its implementation in the first place. This “deal,” however, while it was publicly advertised by the West as a gesture of goodwill that benefited Africa, has in fact been shamelessly used solely for the enrichment of large US and European businesses that exported and resold grain from Ukraine. Judge for yourselves: in almost a year, a total of 32.8 million tonnes of supplies were exported from Ukraine under the “deal,” with over 70 percent of the exports ending up in high- and upper-middle-income countries, including in the European Union, whereas such countries as Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, as well as Yemen and Afghanistan, received less than 3 percent of the supplies, i.e. less than one million tonnes. In the meantime, none of the “deal” provisions relating to the exemption from sanctions of Russian grain and fertiliser exports to world markets were fulfilled. Moreover, barriers have been mounted even to our attempts to supply free of charge mineral fertilisers to the poorest countries in need. Of 262,000 tonnes of goods blocked in European ports, only two shipments were delivered – one of 20,000 tonnes to Malawi and one of 34,000 tonnes to Kenya. The rest is still unscrupulously held by the Europeans. And this is a purely humanitarian initiative we are talking about, which should be exempt from any sanctions as such. Considering all these facts, there is no longer any use in continuing the “grain deal” as it has failed to serve its original humanitarian purpose. We argued against further extending the “deal,” which terminated as of July 18. I want to give assurances that our country is capable of replacing the Ukrainian grain both on a commercial and free-of-charge basis, especially as we expect another record harvest this year. Notwithstanding the sanctions, Russia will continue its energetic efforts to provide supplies of grain, food products, fertilisers and other goods to Africa. We highly value and will further develop the full spectrum of economic ties with Africa – with individual states as well as regional integration associations and, naturally, with the African Union. We welcome this organisation’s strategic course towards further economic integration and the formation of the African Continental Free Trade Area. We are ready to build pragmatic, mutually beneficial relations, including within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. We are also willing to step up cooperation with other regional integration organisations on the continent. In keeping with the existing tradition, we intend to continue providing assistance to African states in building their national human resource capacity. There are currently about 35 thousand students from the continent in Russia, more than 6,000 of them receive Russian government scholarships. Each year we increase the number of scholarships, promote paid higher education options and facilitate inter-university ties, which have gained significant momentum in recent times. Bringing humanitarian, cultural, sports and mass media cooperation to a whole new level would serve our common interests. I would like to seize this opportunity to invite our young African friends to the World Youth Festival, which will take place in Sochi, Russia, in March 2024. This large-scale international forum will bring together more than 20,000 participants from more than 180 countries for an informal, friendly and open dialogue that is free from ideological and political barriers, racial and religious prejudice and would consolidate the young generation around the ideals of lasting and durable peace, prosperity and creative spirit. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that we attach great importance to the upcoming the Second Russia–Africa Summit. We expect that the Summit would adopt a comprehensive Declaration, a number of joint statements and approve the Russia – Africa Partnership Forum Action Plan to 2026. We are working to prepare an impressive package of intergovernmental and inter agency agreements and memoranda with individual states as well as regional associations of the continent. I am looking forward to welcoming the African leaders in St. Petersburg and stand committed to a fruitful constructive dialogue. I firmly believe that the decisions adopted at the Summit and Forum, coupled with continuous diversified joint work will contribute to further development of Russian African strategic partnership for the benefit of our countries and peoples. BY VLADIMIR PUTIN President of Russian Federation Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 25 JULY 2023