STORY: Ethiopia's BRICS membership enhances access to opportunities, drives economic growth
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Oct. 21, 2024
LENGTH: 0:01:34
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
CATEGORY: POLITICS/ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MUKERREM MIFTAH, Assistant professor at the Ethiopian Civil Service University
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MUKERREM MIFTAH, Assistant professor at the Ethiopian Civil Service University

STORYLINE:

Mukerrem Miftah, an assistant professor at the Ethiopian Civil Service University, told Xinhua recently that Ethiopia's BRICS group membership will scale up its bilateral and multilateral relations with the bloc's members.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MUKERREM MIFTAH, Assistant professor at the Ethiopian Civil Service University
"I think BRICS, among other institutional arrangements, global institutional arrangements, I think it offers important economic and developmental opportunities for countries like Ethiopia. I think Ethiopia's decision to join BRICS is first and foremost (about) development. And I think not only Ethiopia, but (other) member states of the BRICS would also benefit from Ethiopia's engagement."

In January 2024, Ethiopia officially became a newest member of the BRICS group.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MUKERREM MIFTAH, Assistant professor at the Ethiopian Civil Service University
"I think the Ethiopian engagement, first, it would scale up the already existing bilateral relations between countries in the South. For instance, Ethiopia-China relations. So in this global institutional arrangement, the countries who are now members of the BRICS would have a much strengthened institutionalized pattern, and strategically enduring relations, because one important prerogative of any institutional arrangement is that it gives you a sense of stability, predictability, and strategic oversight. So, from that vantage point, I believe that BRICS can facilitate lasting and strong relations between member states. And I think Ethiopia, as a developing country, would benefit a lot from it. So no doubt Ethiopia is benefiting from it (BRICS). And I would hope that this interaction, the economic and political interaction, would gain significant momentum in the coming years."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Addis Ababa.
(XHTV)