HSE Center for African Studies participated in a round table on the Horn of Africa

On February 6, 2026, the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS) hosted a round table on the topic "Horn of Africa countries in the focus of interests of regional and global players." Andrey Maslov, Director of the Center, and expert Andrey Shelkovnikov took part in the event.

During the round table, experts discussed the situation of the Horn of Africa countries (Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, etc.), the main directions of their foreign policy, as well as the strategies of Russia, the United States, China and other players in the region.

Andrey Maslov, Director of the HSE Center for African Studies, delivered a presentation on «Foreign investment in the Horn of Africa: economics and political dimension». He spoke about the main areas of foreign investment (industry, hydropower, construction of transport infrastructure) in the country, its key investors, as well as the investment imbalance characteristic of the Ethiopian economy.

Andrey Maslov, Director of the HSE Center for African Studies

The Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS)

«According to official data, the volume of accumulated foreign direct investment in the country is 38 billion dollars. Energy is a key sector for long-term investments, as it is energy resources that underpin the country's industrial and agricultural development. In recent years, new technology players (data centers, electronic computing machines) have been coming to the forefront in Ethiopia. Foreign lenders, mainly Chinese firms, provide long-term loans to manufacturers of this equipment and thereby gain access to hydropower projects that are implemented in Ethiopia. This partly explains the country's long-term trade deficit», - said Andrey Maslov.

After the presentation, speakers including expert for the Center Andrey Shelkovnikov, held a discussion on topic.