On January 1, 2024, five new countries joined BRICS, including Ethiopia. This sparked articles in the media questioning why Ethiopia, among all the candidates, was chosen as a member of this influential bloc.
«The Ethiopian people will never forget your kindness. You are inseparable from us, we have etched you in our hearts», - wrote Emperor Menelik II to Tsar Nicholas II in 1896.
Unlike much of the African continent, Ethiopia has never been colonized. The country has fiercely resisted European pressures throughout its history. However, its ability to decisively defeat Italian forces in 1896 and halt British advances in southern Africa in 1897 was largely due to the support of a reliable ally—Russia. Russia's assistance included training in military tactics, provision of weaponry, and essential medical supplies, all of which bolstered Ethiopia's fight for independence.
Foreign Minister Vladimir Lamsdorf wrote:
«The Imperial government currently has no direct interests on the African continent. For the Imperial government, Abyssinia (the former name of Ethiopia) is primarily a significant tool for influencing other states. Therefore, safeguarding Abyssinia's independence and territorial integrity constitutes the cornerstone of our policy toward this country».
Ethiopia was recognized as independent, and Italy was compelled to pay reparations—the first time a European nation paid compensation to Africans. The only traditionally Christian country in Africa held a special place in the hearts of Russians. It was believed to be the location of the Ark of the Covenant, and the Ethiopian emperor was thought to be a direct descendant of King Solomon.
The partnership extended beyond geopolitics and military support. In 1903, Emperor Menelik II requested that the Russian government "send a Russian mining engineer to conduct explorations and develop gold deposits discovered at the sources of the White Nile in Wallaga."
Menelik is a pivotal figure in Ethiopian history. He established the modern borders of the Republic by conquering and uniting fragmented regions, initiated the process of abolishing slavery, and formed Ethiopia's first cabinet of ministers. Recognizing the critical role of resource potential in the nation's development and security, Menelik prioritized its exploration and utilization.
The request of the Ethiopian Negus Negest (“King of Kings”) was forwarded to the Mining Department and the Mining Institute, which jointly decided to appoint Nikolai Kurmakov to lead the first Russian geological expedition to Ethiopia. News of this spread quickly around the world, even being featured in the news section of London’s The Times.
Mining engineers, who studied several foreign languages alongside their core disciplines at the institute, were regularly involved in Russia's foreign policy and economic activities. They served as qualified consultants in assessing, developing, and exploiting mineral deposits, assisting international partners in resource exploration while simultaneously studying local geology, techniques, and technological processes.
For example, in 1830, Alexei Kovanko was invited to join the Russian mission in Beijing, which was the primary channel for fostering Russian-Chinese relations before the appointment of Russia's first permanent representative. He spent six years in China, where he not only learned about the country's vast mineral wealth but also gathered insights into its ethnographic, domestic, political, and economic conditions.
Nikolai Kurmakov, a graduate of the Mining Institute in 1876, was renowned for his expertise in ore and coal deposits in the Urals, the Caucasus, Turkey, Persia, and Poland. Over many years, he explored gold, silver, copper, molybdenum, and coal deposits in these regions. As an expert, he frequently contributed to the establishment of mining and industrial enterprises, earning a reputation as a skilled geologist and an excellent organizer.
Kurmakov drafted a plan for the proposed expedition and outlined his recommendations for the team. Tsar Nicholas II reviewed the expedition report with interest and instructed Kurmakov to visit the Urals to recruit personnel, as the region had the most skilled specialists in gold mining. Ultimately, the team included two gold mining specialists from the Mining Institute, a graduate of the Freiberg Mining Academy, a feldsher, and four workers from the Miass factory.
In February 1904, the expedition set off on its journey, traveling from Odessa via Port Said (Egypt) to Djibouti in East Africa. From there, they continued overland on horseback and camelback, making their way across the continent to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
The expedition settled into the routine of a typical field expedition—early rises, loading the caravans, ensuring their security en route, and conducting continuous geological work. This included collecting samples, making observations, and recording entries in journals. The monotony of daily tasks was occasionally broken by hunting and encounters with unfamiliar landscapes, wildlife, and local populations, providing moments of excitement and discovery for the travelers.
The poet Nikolai Gumilyov, who fell in love with Ethiopia and spent three years there, wrote:
«Baboons roar amid the spurge bushes,
Smeared with white and sticky sap,
Riders gallop, throwing long spears,
Firing rifles at full tilt.And everywhere, above and below, caravans
Breathe the sun and drink the boundless expanse,
Venturing into yet undiscovered lands
In search of ivory and the gold of the mountains.».
Upon arriving in Wallaga, Kurmakov ordered the construction of a forge and carpentry workshops by the Meti River to produce the necessary tools. He then assigned responsibilities to the team members. The primary tasks included surveying the entire area for ore and geological assessment to evaluate the gold-bearing potential of the site and surrounding terrain, conducting exploratory mapping and recording them on plans, prospecting for primary (vein) gold deposits, alluvial deposits, and open seams, mining vein gold (using drilling and dynamite blasting), collecting samples, and creating photographic documentation.
«We spent little time in camp: we would take tools, provisions, and workers with us and set out on expeditions lasting two or three weeks, where we investigated the conditions of ore deposits. It’s not my first time leading expeditions in remote areas with Russian workers, and each time I’m in awe of their honest, conscientious approach to the work. These people, often coming from the freedom of mining communities—like my Yuzovka workers in Persian expeditions—after two weeks of fieldwork would form a cohesive, well-synced team capable of facing any challenges», - wrote Nikolai Nikolayevich in his memoirs.
Among these “challenges” were cases of malaria, which affected the expedition leader, and gangrene in one of the workers. Thanks to the high skill of the field medic, serious complications were avoided, though the team endured considerable anxiety.
«The Russian mining expedition under Kurmakov’s leadership achieved favorable results both in assessing the gold-bearing potential of the soil and in determining the nature of the work. Kurmakov managed to uncover quartz layers with significantly higher gold content than the surface layers currently being mined by the Abyssinians…», - wrote an accompanying diplomat in his report to St. Petersburg.
In addition to mapping, Kurmakov proposed what he believed to be the optimal plan for further development of the deposits, which included training Ethiopian mining engineers.
The geologist concluded that purchasing and transporting modern machinery, as well as hiring European workers as initially planned, "would place an unnecessarily heavy burden on the enterprise envisioned by the emperor." Instead, he deemed it logical to develop the mines using local labor equipped with simple yet effective tools. He suggested the idea of sending several Abyssinian workers, who had already worked alongside the expedition team and were familiar with the methods of Russian mining engineers, to the Urals for training.
«By learning literacy and spending two years in the Urals, where they could practically study mining, these individuals would return home as a foundation for cultivating mining expertise among Abyssinians», - Kurmakov proposed.
In early November 1904, the head of state invited all members of the expedition for an audience. During the meeting, the geologist presented Menelik II with a preliminary report on the results of their work and recommendations for improving the operational mine. At the conclusion of the presentation, he handed over a small quantity of platinum extracted from the deposit. The emperor, unfamiliar with the metal, listened as the mining engineer explained its properties and applications, highlighting why it was so valuable. He shared that there were no more than five or six known deposits of this "white gold" worldwide.
Menelik II was astonished and overjoyed:
«Why have other Europeans never told me about this? Why do only Russian engineers share this information with me? Because they were sent with the sole purpose of benefiting Abyssinia and its ruler».
The emperor ordered rewards for all Russian geologists and presented Nikolai Kurmakov with the Order of the Ethiopian Star—one of the country's most prestigious distinctions.
In 1905, the expedition returned to Russia, where Kurmakov's work received the highest praise. By imperial decree, he was appointed head of the Irkutsk Mining Administration. Additionally, he was awarded the rank of Actual State Councillor for his "outstanding efforts undertaken during the special mining expedition to Abyssinia," a title equivalent to that of a major general.
A few years later, he was promoted to the position of Director of the Mining Department, the central state institution overseeing mining and metallurgical districts in the Russian Empire. He held this position for about three years. Information about Kurmakov’s fate after 1917 remains unknown.
His recommendations were adopted and implemented by the Ethiopian government, but the revolutionary events in Russia interrupted further cooperation.
Today, Ethiopia is the fifth-largest economy in Africa, with gold mining accounting for up to 15% of its export revenues. In addition to gold, the country develops deposits of iron ore, coal, sapphires, opals, emeralds, tantalum, potash, phosphorus, copper, marble, and other resources. Growth in the mining sector, especially gold production, remains a priority for Ethiopia’s economic development. However, the country’s full mineral potential has yet to be realized, as it still lacks domestic technologies and qualified personnel.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, Russia played a crucial role in the establishment and modernization of the Ethiopian state. Today, this partnership is entering a new phase of development.
In October 2024, the BRICS summit, in which Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia) will participate, will be held in Russia. Ahead of the main event in Kazan, the St. Petersburg Mining University will host a forum titled "Mineral Resources as the Foundation of National Sovereignty: Personnel and Innovation Environment." This is the institution where Nikolai Kurmakov studied, the man who helped Menelik II search for gold. It will also serve as the venue for discussions on critical issues regarding the future development of Africa’s mineral resource base.
