Expert: BRICS can support Ethiopia’s infrastructure and digital development
Henok Yitbarek, Lead Researcher on Global Affairs at SOPHOS Africa, emphasises the potential for collaboration in areas such as infrastructure financing, artificial intelligence, and data technologies
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Photo source: Jacob Wackerhausen / iStock
Cooperation with BRICS can contribute to Ethiopia’s infrastructure development and create new opportunities in artificial intelligence and data technologies, according to Henok Yitbarek, Lead Researcher on Global Affairs at SOPHOS Africa. He shared this view in an exclusive interview with Fana Media Corporation, a partner of TV BRICS.
The expert highlighted the role BRICS countries play in supporting investment and economic transformation across the Global South. He noted that the grouping has also become an additional source of development finance for Ethiopia, other African countries and the wider Global South.
“BRICS also strengthens the investment of the Global South. Multiple BRICS countries like China, Russia, and India are playing the most important role in the development as well as in investment and economic transformations of the Global South,” Yitbarek said.
According to him, infrastructure is one of the key areas in which Ethiopia could deepen its cooperation with BRICS. The country is seeking to expand its transport networks and develop roads and railways.
Yitbarek also identified artificial intelligence and data technologies as promising areas for future cooperation. He noted Ethiopia’s efforts to develop education in AI and stressed that partnerships could extend to data-related projects across different sectors.
“Now Ethiopia is opening an AI university, so we need to diversify our cooperation in terms of building this AI data mining, as well as cooperation in terms of data, agricultural data, and even in the tourism sectors,” he said.
The expert believes that expanding cooperation in infrastructure, digital technologies and investment could further strengthen Ethiopia’s engagement with BRICS and contribute to broader economic development across the Global South.
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