- 2 days ago
The Nile dispute is a fundamental battle for the Global South. In this new documentary, Think BRICS has the geopolitics, water security, and economics of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam explained. We dive deep into the latest BRICS news, exploring how Ethiopia and Egypt navigate intricate International Relations and foreign policy within the expanding BRICS+ framework.
Discover how China’s advanced technology and strategic Finance are actively reshaping emerging markets and development countries, fundamentally transforming the global economy. From the collaborative spirit of the recent brics summit to the intricate Market Economy dynamics expected at brics summit 2026, we provide new thinking on how resource management dictates regional power. We examine how massive infrastructure investments, like industrial parks and EV initiatives, create vital jobs, yet also spark legitimate debates about economic dependence, offering a highly nuanced view of modern economic alliances and the push for true sovereignty in a multipolar era.
We do not focus on Western financial markets or analyze how traditional Money systems and unilateral sanctions dictate BRICS policy. This is not a detailed report on India's specific domestic Economy, nor does it comprehensively detail the unresolved somaliland ethiopia border tensions, though we do mention the broader, critical quest for Red Sea access. We do not analyze the complex legal intricacies of somaliland international recognition, nor do we cover Eritrea's internal political dynamics regarding the strategic Port of Assab.
Finally, this is not a daily critique of the pulse of africa media platform's news cycle, but rather a macro-level, strategic look at Geopolitics, water rights, and enduring BRICS solidarity in a rapidly changing multipolar world. We also do not cover the internal electoral politics of other BRICS nations or the specific mechanics of Western diplomatic interference, keeping our focus strictly on the Horn of Africa's strategic landscape and the broader implications for African unity and sustainable development.
#BRICS #GERD #Ethiopia
00:00 – Nile River Dispute Explained: Ethiopia vs Egypt Water Security
00:53 – Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Geopolitics of Nile Water Control
05:40 – China’s Massive Investments in Ethiopia: Economic Partner or Debt Trap?
08:15 – China vs Western Investors in Emerging Markets & African Infrastructure
10:50 – Ethiopia’s Clean Energy & Electric Vehicle Push: Climate Policy vs Oil Imports
15:05 – Red Sea Access & Somaliland Deal: Why Ethiopia Needs a Port
18:30 – Red Sea Geopolitics: Port of Assab, Eritrea, and Somalia Tensions
20:32 – Can the BRICS Summit Resolve Ethiopia and Egypt Regional Conflicts?
21:30 – Challenging Western Media: The Global South Narrative & Pulse of Africa
24:20 – BRICS Summit 2026 Declaration: Reforming Global Finance, IMF & WTO
26:22 – Future Outlook: Developing Countries & African Growth in BRICS
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Discover how China’s advanced technology and strategic Finance are actively reshaping emerging markets and development countries, fundamentally transforming the global economy. From the collaborative spirit of the recent brics summit to the intricate Market Economy dynamics expected at brics summit 2026, we provide new thinking on how resource management dictates regional power. We examine how massive infrastructure investments, like industrial parks and EV initiatives, create vital jobs, yet also spark legitimate debates about economic dependence, offering a highly nuanced view of modern economic alliances and the push for true sovereignty in a multipolar era.
We do not focus on Western financial markets or analyze how traditional Money systems and unilateral sanctions dictate BRICS policy. This is not a detailed report on India's specific domestic Economy, nor does it comprehensively detail the unresolved somaliland ethiopia border tensions, though we do mention the broader, critical quest for Red Sea access. We do not analyze the complex legal intricacies of somaliland international recognition, nor do we cover Eritrea's internal political dynamics regarding the strategic Port of Assab.
Finally, this is not a daily critique of the pulse of africa media platform's news cycle, but rather a macro-level, strategic look at Geopolitics, water rights, and enduring BRICS solidarity in a rapidly changing multipolar world. We also do not cover the internal electoral politics of other BRICS nations or the specific mechanics of Western diplomatic interference, keeping our focus strictly on the Horn of Africa's strategic landscape and the broader implications for African unity and sustainable development.
#BRICS #GERD #Ethiopia
00:00 – Nile River Dispute Explained: Ethiopia vs Egypt Water Security
00:53 – Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Geopolitics of Nile Water Control
05:40 – China’s Massive Investments in Ethiopia: Economic Partner or Debt Trap?
08:15 – China vs Western Investors in Emerging Markets & African Infrastructure
10:50 – Ethiopia’s Clean Energy & Electric Vehicle Push: Climate Policy vs Oil Imports
15:05 – Red Sea Access & Somaliland Deal: Why Ethiopia Needs a Port
18:30 – Red Sea Geopolitics: Port of Assab, Eritrea, and Somalia Tensions
20:32 – Can the BRICS Summit Resolve Ethiopia and Egypt Regional Conflicts?
21:30 – Challenging Western Media: The Global South Narrative & Pulse of Africa
24:20 – BRICS Summit 2026 Declaration: Reforming Global Finance, IMF & WTO
26:22 – Future Outlook: Developing Countries & African Growth in BRICS
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NewsTranscript
00:00On our channel, we often talk about Ethiopia, but it's challenging to find an analyst capable
00:09to discuss what is happening in Ethiopia and to tell us what country is Ethiopia.
00:18But being in the media center, it's an opportunity to meet people from all the world around,
00:25and we have today a happy opportunity to speak with our colleagues from Ethiopia.
00:33Please, I am glad to introduce the reporter, Ethiopia newspaper, journalist, Sisi, and Barometrics
00:45online magazine, digital magazine, Mentes Yeni Gulfi. So guys, just straight to the point.
00:54Is the Nile dispute really about water, or is it a battle over who controls the Horn of Africa?
01:03Well, thank you for inviting me first. So it depends for me. It depends. You can say it's
01:10a water. For Ethiopia, it's about existence. For Ethiopia, it's about a development,
01:18because Ethiopia has been in poverty for decades because of lack of capital, lack of investment
01:28to utilize the water, which has been flow throughout Ethiopia and beyond Ethiopia. So
01:35now when Ethiopia has developed that dam and start to use, it has been one year since it has officially
01:44inaugurated. So Egypt has been costing the issue of Nile, Nile water, because it's not new from Egypt. I mean,
01:58the controversy between Egypt and Ethiopia has been like far more decades and decades. So the Nile river
02:05passed through like 11 riparian countries. So the only countries that has been questioned about this
02:15water has been like Egypt. We have like many, many countries where the water is passing through. But
02:24Egypt, after, before even the inauguration of the dam, there has been many, many meetings,
02:32many conferences by external mediators to negotiate the Nile dispute. But from the position of Egypt,
02:39I don't think they are really into the water. Because even after the completion of the dam,
02:48the very important thing that you can say about the dam is, with that region, especially the Horn of
02:55Africa region, it's a very, very desert region nowadays because of the climate induced droughts. So
03:03we don't know, sometimes it might be that area might be very, very, very drought and you may lose the
03:08water. But the very important thing that you can say is, if, if, when that dam is built at the
03:17border area of Japan and Sudan, and Egypt could be like comfort, comfortably use that water,
03:23Ethiopia will send the water to Egypt, even, even it is like a hot and like what you call a
03:31drought
03:32area. So whatever it's drought or not, Egypt will have like a very nice flow to water. But still,
03:38Egyptian officials have been like, like trying to politicize things and trying to like taking the
03:45case by United Nations Security Council, the Arab League, the African Union. I mean, the African Union
03:51is like, it's like, their quarter is Ethiopia, so it's a home for everybody. But Egyptians have been like
03:58blaming and blaming. Of course, from Ethiopian perspective, I'm from Ethiopia. I knew that
04:05like the construction of the dam is not something of politics. Now we build that dam, Ethiopia has built
04:11that dam. Now the energy is sent to the whole naval nations like Kenya, Sudan, Djibouti, Tanzania, beyond that,
04:20it's something create an integration. It's something you can build regional capacity, original
04:29position. But when I see the Egyptian position, I mean, it's already built, the dam is already built.
04:35Only the Egyptians can't do anything, but they're doing like trying to politicize and politicize and
04:41avoid. I don't know what's happening sometimes. It just listens to their rhetoric. So it seems really
04:49politics. It's not about water. The water is already flowing. So it's resolved in this issue.
04:54Yeah, but I have never seen the concrete reason why they're complaining about it. I mean,
05:00okay, if they said international law, okay, Ethiopia is binding by international law. If we say
05:06international law is working now, because we're looking that military nationalism is failing, we have
05:11seen many countries that are like, like violating many international laws, making, doing a genocide,
05:18everyone in the world against international law. But it's okay. If Ethiopian officials are saying
05:24they're agreeing with the international law, it's still not against international law. We have
05:31the right, people have the right to use that water. I mean, no question at all. But still, the water
05:37is
05:37flowing into that. So, okay, we understand your point. You mentioned that for many years,
05:45Ethiopia suffered from lack of investments. In recent years, the situation changed and now you have lots
05:53of Chinese investments, including that one in the mega airport in your capital city. Do people in your
06:04countries see Beijing as a partner? Or is there a fear of economic dependence in the end?
06:12Oh, so China is actually the biggest investment investor. Like, you can't say more than 50% of
06:20Chinese, Ethiopian investors are Chinese. China has built many, many projects in Ethiopia. But the
06:27problem, there is, there is a narrative, a narrative that's done against the Chinese investment. But of
06:34course, still, there is an issue which many people, many experts in the investment sector raise about
06:41the issue of Chinese investment with regard to, regard to labor conditions, something, dominations. But still,
06:51a country like Ethiopia, with 170 million population, still needs an investment. A country like Ethiopia,
06:59which generates thousands of megawatt electricity, now Ethiopia has to get into an investment,
07:09a big investment to feed its public, to create a job, to expand its development. So,
07:18domination, there is still a fear. I mean, what if Chinese, many Chinese, now it's 50%
07:24Chinese investors. What if 100% is dominated by Chinese? Yeah. It might be chaotic. I mean,
07:31it might happen that entire Ethiopia belongs to China. There has been an issue. I remember some
07:37countries have been under chaos because the loan has been huge and the Chinese government has been
07:45tried to control their big investment, like airport, like port, like that. That frustration is still
07:55there. But I can't, I can't say that's not that much big. That's not a big frustration for Ethiopians.
08:03So, we need that investment. But one thing we should, we should, we should, we should consider is,
08:09if Ethiopian officials are good enough to manage that thing, we have like Western investment,
08:13like American investors there. But you told 50% Chinese, it means there is something that Ethiopians
08:23can get from China that they cannot get from Western investors. Yeah, that has been said for a long,
08:32you know, when the Chinese come, they came with their money, their investors. We see Ethiopian Railway,
08:38it's a big railway, it's your duty railway, I deserve a speed railway. I mean, the city fails there.
08:46There are constructions there, many, many constructions. The Chinese provide money,
08:51the Chinese provide its investors. That's a good thing. So, there might be frustration because when
08:57Chinese provide a loan, country might get into big,
09:03what you call it, like a basket of credit. So, that is a frustration, but...
09:09It's not so much. Yeah, I mean, it's silly. Me, personally, I have a frustration on that,
09:15but when there is a condition, when the Western media, Western, sorry, Western investors like Germany,
09:22UK or the American investors come, they just brought a top corporations. They just compete and join some of
09:30their profitable business. But the Chinese, the investors are them, the loan is from them.
09:37For example, you have, like, an industrial park in Ethiopia, many industrial parks built by Chinese.
09:43Most of them are, like, dominated by Chinese investors who are producing there. Of course,
09:48they have created thousands of jobs for Ethiopians. Many Ethiopians have jobless, and this industry
09:53is creating, like, those opportunities. So, China's investments come to Ethiopia,
09:59bringing not only money, but also technology, creating jobs. Yeah. So, improving the,
10:10how is it called, the infrastructure. Yeah, well, yeah. I mean, infrastructure means,
10:16if you see our roads in Ethiopia, if you see the facilities, many of them are moved by Chinese,
10:21countries. There is an issue everybody is raising about the domination, the loan, but it has to be managed by
10:31Ethiopian officials. Yes. I mean, government has to set a policy, a roadmap, a framework to manage that.
10:39Otherwise, if it lets them to enter without any mechanism, it might be damaging, because every country has its own
10:47policy,
10:47so that should be managed through that way. Okay. You told that there is lots of energy,
10:54electric energy right now in Ethiopia, and Ethiopia is aggressively pushing electric vehicles now.
11:06It's, this tendency is faster than any African country. It's a genuine climate move, or it's just an option,
11:18how to save money on oil imports. Thank you for having me. So, taking in consideration various topics,
11:28and happening in Addis Ababa, I don't want to box into, you know, the climate move, or
11:36regarding the import independence, because in both of cases, Ethiopia is doing aggressively,
11:43both on the climate, and also pushing towards import dependency. For example, there is a green
11:49legacy in Ethiopia. So, like millions of trees has been grown so far and planted. The maturity level of
11:59these trees has also been recently growing. So, the EV transformation is also one of the climate
12:10moved the government recently considering, but also the industrialization also currently booming.
12:16The government does not just import EVs, they are also importing across their industrial markets,
12:24and also it is facilitating partnership between foreign investors and also the public-private
12:33partnerships, so that private, local private companies can get both expertise and also fund
12:41and in light of the import dependency. In light of the import dependency regarding the fuel, the government
12:47also partnered with Africa's largest investors like Dangote. Last year, the government states on the
12:59fund called the Ethiopian Investment Holding signed with the Dangote group to, you know, produce
13:07a mega fertilizer, a mega fertilizer and also natural gas production. There is also a rumor that the government
13:15has been partnered with Chinese investors to develop the same kind of gas production in Somalia region.
13:23So, considering this into, you know, bringing into the table to decide whether the government is doing this
13:30to, you know, to boost climate, add the transformation or import dependency regarding the fuel, it could be very hard
13:41to box into just one area.
13:43Yeah. How do you think? Can Ethiopia actually turn its clean energy into an advantage or will it just end,
13:57I don't know, relying on imported Chinese tagging? Yeah, you can see this from the COP32.
14:04Ethiopia is the host country for the host 2, the host of COP32. This is one of the reasons
14:12that Ethiopia has been accepted by the UN. The government has been doing very good regarding this climate push,
14:22both in the planting trees, also in EVs, not just the cars. Across a variety of vehicles, the government is
14:35pushing
14:37the environment friendly usage. So, there is also a growing fund coming from the foreign multilateral
14:48countries due to this reason, not just the COP32 agreement. So, yes, it's not just climate push,
14:54there is, you know, outcomes that this pushes are given the government so far with foreign countries.
15:03Yeah, opportunities. Thanks. This is a question to you. Ethiopia is one of the biggest landlocked
15:13countries and it badly needs access to the to the sea to have a to have a port. So,
15:25the deal with Somaliland triggered a massive dispute with Somalia. How it goes right now? What is the situation?
15:36Yeah, that has been a big issue a year before. Ethiopia demands access to sea. It's actually a natural
15:48reason to demand that thing. First, it might need a law that can give Ethiopia the right to access that
15:59thing.
16:00As I told you before, the growing population is demanding
16:05job, demanding investment, demanding infrastructure. So, Ethiopia demands something. So, a population which is
16:14the second or third largest in the continent, being landlocked means like it's just...
16:26It's a limit, brings limits to the economy, to the economic development. Yeah. So, the global economy is
16:33interconnected. Ethiopia by itself alone, it can't survive unless it's interacting with the globe.
16:39To interact with that, we need an access, a gateway. So, there has been an agreement to Somaliland
16:46initially. Then, Somalia says later, it's my part of... Somaliland is a part of Somalia. So, you don't have to
16:59get... Negotiate with... Negotiate with someone with, say, the army country. So, Ethiopia says,
17:04okay, I accept that thing. Then, start to talk with Somalia through the negotiator of the Turkish
17:14negotiation. Then, everybody was anticipated that we will... As we have agreed the agreement,
17:22this Ankara agreement negotiation was Somalia to provide what Ethiopian demand is to... And
17:31Ethiopia will withdraw that agreement from Somaliland. So, everybody was happy. Okay,
17:38what we need is the sea access. Then, we're hoping that thing, but still, Somalia is not still a good
17:44friend. We are neighbors. But still, we are not... But on paper, the issue is resolved. Yeah.
17:51Ethiopia now has access to the port in some Somaliland territory. We don't have an access. I mean,
17:59the agreement says Ethiopia will start to talk. There has been a committee, as we heard from Ethiopian
18:06officials, a committee from Somalia and Ethiopia to start deal with that issue. Okay. But after some,
18:14a while, that thing has seized and we have never heard about it. I don't know.
18:20Me, as a journalist, have been asking this. Nobody is giving me a response. But everybody is still
18:25hoping for sea access. But still, a renewed demand from Ethiopian officials, from Ethiopian Prime Minister
18:34in the last few, last year. Actually, today's tip, we are in another year, 2019. So, last year,
18:43Tip and Prime Minister has been pushing for a new access, especially with new demand in Red Sea,
18:49which is in the port of Assaf, which is near to... which is being owned now by Etyria.
18:58The Prime Minister has raised to the parliament, to the public, that Ethiopia is really demanding that port.
19:07Because, like, 30 years ago, it was a part of Ethiopia. But Etyria has succeeded from Ethiopia.
19:13And the Prime Minister has raised an issue. When Etyria has succeeded from Ethiopia, the way the port was
19:22given to Etyria was by mistake. We don't have... The Prime Minister said, literally, we didn't get any
19:28paper on an agreement that indicates that that port was given to Asmara. So, I'm sure the Prime Minister
19:40raised a valid point. But after all, Ethiopia demands sea access. That's a good point. But we need to see
19:50that legal agreement comes into reality. So, the negotiations are still on and moving. And we hope
20:01that... Yeah, I mean... In the nearest future, something will be resolved. I'm sure, I'm sure. I mean,
20:06everybody's happy when the Prime Minister raises that issue, access to the sea. But with regard to Somalia,
20:12I don't think it's something which we expect sooner. Because it has been banished after the Ankara agreement.
20:21We don't know what happened after the agreement. Of course, Somalia is not that... We are never...
20:29But I don't think Somalia is a good friend to Ethiopia. Well, how do you think the BRICS,
20:34like an organization where Ethiopia and Egypt and other nations are in the main board, the
20:46the members, may help to resolve the issues?
20:51Uh... BRICS... BRICS is a service. I... When... Now I'm at the BRICS summit, and when I see leaders
20:59arriving here, gathered here, like leaders of a country that are like dominated more than 50% of
21:07the population, the global population, it's a big thing. It's a big block. But practically,
21:13what the problem is, once a block established, the practicality and the commitment seems very,
21:20very low. Leaders need to be very committed. And that gathering has to brought us something valuable,
21:27and something concrete to the public.
21:29Here we come to the next point about the global narrative, about the media, the role of the media
21:36in this narrative. It's a major push right now, especially for BRICS countries, to challenge
21:43Western media dominance and build a sovereign African narrative. Recently, in your country,
21:51has been pushed a voice of... Pulse of Africa, sorry, platform. Do you think it's a genuine,
22:01independent voice, or it's just another tool for government influence?
22:06So, I mean, the Pulse of Africa, that media, when the Prime Minister initiated
22:12the idea of Pulse of Africa, it was a very, very good idea. I mean, we have, we have,
22:20in my home, sitting in my home, I usually watch, as a BBC, as a CNN, as a Allegiant Zero.
22:27So, you are influenced by Western narrative, and you know it very well, what they are talking about,
22:33about your country, about your continent. Don't you think there is, we need to break that narrative,
22:40and to bring truth about... Exactly. I mean, you're right. That's my point. I mean, I'm like,
22:48the whole narrative by those medias is shaping the global mind, my mind and my friend's mind. So,
22:56okay, media is, it's a point, the point of the media is a free press. Everybody can talk about it,
23:02but
23:02the narrative should be an inclusive narrative. So, speaking about inclusive narrative, the Pulse of Africa,
23:10the point of establishing that media was good, was very something great. But the way it's established,
23:18for me, is not something good. I mean, if it's the Pulse of Africa, it has to be an African
23:23Union.
23:24Yeah, the idea was to give more voice to the African continent, to the countries of Africa,
23:31to speak themselves about themselves. Yeah. So, what I was hoping, I even have a colleagues
23:36working there, I was, I usually, when I meet them, I tell them, the idea is good, but practically,
23:42when you see this... Realization is not so. Yeah. It's under Ethiopian news agency,
23:47yeah. It's a government media, it should have, it should be established outside, like, state media,
23:54it should be established under the auspices of African Union, or some African countries,
24:00specialists. To involve all African nations in contributing to the... Exactly, that should have
24:06been like that. The things that I'm looking at from Pulse of Africa, I don't think it will be
24:13successful in a way that was anticipated. I'm sure they will find a way to make it better.
24:20Okay, thank you. Final question to you. It's the first time you are, um, covering the BRICS summit,
24:26right? Yeah. The first time in India? Yeah, it's my first time. If I ask you, what do you like
24:33most about
24:33this summit, and what you don't like most about this summit, what it should be? Actually, uh, I went
24:43through the declaration, and I found it quite concrete and addressed the currently pressing issues,
24:54especially regarding developing countries like us. So, I have also covered from the declaration,
25:02various topics, like, uh, uh, the bloc is pushing, uh, final global financial institutions like IMF and
25:11World Bank to increase the voting power of developing countries like us. It also, uh, uh, RG and the, uh,
25:19RG, the WTO, uh, you know, to, uh, World Trade Organization. Yeah, yeah, the World Trade Organization
25:26to restore its, uh, dispute, uh, resolving mechanism. It's currently under freeze, uh, because of, uh, uh,
25:35lacking of, uh, there is a lacking members, judges in the appealing, uh, you know, department. So,
25:44they are also urging regarding this. So, I found this very insightful and, uh, very timely. Uh, one thing
25:52that, uh, I didn't like from the gathering is that we are, we are not covering the summit first time.
26:01We are just attending the summits from live, like anyone else, uh, attending the summits. It could be from, uh,
26:09Ethiopia or also outside of this event. So, you should have been attended this event firsthand and also
26:16raised our concern, uh, to the leaders. That is why we are here.
26:21Well, but we should, we may all grow professionally. So, next time we will be called directly to the hall
26:28with the leaders and we will be able to cover the summits from the first hand. Guys, thank you very
26:34much. Thank you very much. I hope to see you on our channel and then we will, uh, pay even
26:39more
26:40attention to, to your country, to the African continent in general. Welcome to Think Bricks.
26:45Thanks. Thank you.