Russia-Ethiopia trade nearly triples – ambassador

Growth topped $435 million driven by machinery, fertilizer exports, and rising Ethiopian coffee sales

Trade between Russia and Ethiopia saw explosive growth in 2025, nearly tripling year-on-year, Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia Evgeny Terekhin said on Monday. 

In 2025, mutual trade volume surpassed $435 million, Terekhin stated in an interview with TASS. 

“Traditional export items are acting as growth drivers: Russia is increasing supplies of fertilizers, agricultural machinery, and energy equipment, while Ethiopia is boosting exports of coffee, flowers, and textiles,” he explained. 

Coffee has emerged as a standout product in bilateral trade. Ethiopian varieties, particularly from the Sidamo and Harar regions, are gaining popularity in Russia thanks to their rich flavor profile, the envoy noted.

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“Statistics confirm growing interest: if in 2024 the volume of supplies amounted to $45.9 million, by the end of 2025 it had grown 2.6 times to reach $123.3 million. In physical terms, our imports increased from 8,300 tons to 18,300 tons,” he stated.

Beyond the goods trade, Ethiopia has granted Russian marketplaces a “green corridor” to help them establish operations. Wildberries and Russ, now merged as RWB, are adapting their product range for local demand and preparing to enter the market.

“The entry of Russian tech giants into the Ethiopian market is no longer a hypothesis but an actionable plan,” Terekhin said, adding that “the parties are in the stage of actively working out the details: the process of adapting the product assortment to the specifics of local demand and integrating technical solutions is underway.”

According to the ambassador, the arrival of major Russian e-commerce players could give a strong boost to Ethiopia’s retail sector and signal broader opportunities for Russian IT companies across Africa.

READ MORE: Russia eyes deeper trade ties with Africa – export center

The diplomat linked the surge not only to expanding commodity flows but also to progress on major joint projects. He highlighted the November 2025 meeting of the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Scientific-Technical Cooperation and Trade, where agreements were signed between aluminum giant Rusal and Ethiopian Investment Holdings to explore the construction of an aluminum plant in Ethiopia.