- Egypt and Ethiopia have been onboarded into the BRICS bloc.
- BRICS has announced increased investment and trade with Africa.
- Africa stands to gain with increased representation in BRICS.
The presence of BRICS in Africa has grown exponentially with the onboarding of two of the continent’s most populous economies, Egypt and Ethiopia. This move is poised to give Africa a much larger representation in the growing economic formation even as other economies, such as Kenya, express interest in joining the BRICS ecosystem.
“The expansion of BRICS in 2024 has undoubtedly increased Africa’s weight in international affairs and contributed to the ongoing discussion on the complexities of multipolarity,” reports Daria Zelenova, Head of the BRICS African Strategy Centre and Institute for African Studies.
In the wake of the 16th BRICS in Kazan, Russia, Zelenova said, “The development of strategic and commercial ties between BRICS and Africa reflects the pragmatic interest in the continent on the part of major powers and old members of the group, China, India, Brazil and Russia.”
In the report titled “African Agendas in BRICS: Complications and Prospects of Multipolarity,” Zelenova, writing for the Zaldai Discussion Club, commends Egypt and Ethiopia for joining the BRICS, saying with the move, now “…both South Africa and northeast Africa are represented in BRICS.”
According to the BRICS diplomat, the ascension of these two African countries opens possibilities for deeper interstate ties and new financial agreements on establishing logistics routes. “This could potentially lead to a reduction in financial risks and attract large investments to the region,” Zelenova writes.
The envoy is confident that expanding Africa’s presence in BRICS is beneficial to each BRICS country individually, specifically, China and India, as the two largest investors in Africa.
For Russia, a political force that is interested in moving the world towards multipolarity, and Brazil is a country that has a special historical connection with Africa, BRICS’ expanding presence in the continent is a big advantage.
However, the envoy also cautions that for a country like Ethiopia, there lies a question of whether its membership will be a transformative experience for the country, given the fact that 27 per cent of its population of 126 million people are living below the poverty line. “Will it open new opportunities for economic growth and promote regional stability and increased influence on the world stage?” Zelenova queries.
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Growing influence of BRICS in Africa
BRICS, an alliance initially referred to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is quickly growing after welcoming Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) into its fold.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the BRICS closing session in the southwestern Russian city of Kazan, said all countries joining the bloc “share similar aspirations and values and a vision of new democratic global order.”
The three-day summit saw its members discuss plans to deepen financial cooperation and develop alternatives to Western-dominated payment systems.
“We continue to see Russia as a valued ally, as a valued friend who supported us right from the beginning, from the days of our struggle against apartheid,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is quoted at a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart on the eve of the summit.
Experts say Russia and China have made a compelling case for Africa to reposition itself in creating a new global order and, to entice the call, have provided compelling offers in their ever-growing bilateral trade deals.
A good example is the el-Dabaa nuclear plant, described as “the largest project of Russian-Egyptian cooperation” since the 1950s.
Other than Russia, China commands investment influence across Africa; “And China is increasingly becoming a partner to Africa given the fact that they are not coming with the colonial tendencies, rather, they are coming to do business, proposing economic development which Africa needs very much.”
Over the past decade, the BRICS nations have become Africa’s largest trading partners and new investors. “The BRICS coming into Africa now is to show to the global system that [members] can do business on a level playing ground,” comments Dr. Michael Ndimancho, a political analyst at the University of Douala in Cameroon.
“We have never had an European Union that is proposing an inclusion of an African country into their partnerships so the BRICS coming into Africa, it is an example to show that China, Russia and partners have good faith,” he told the press.
BRICS in Africa: Opportunities for economies
More seats in the BRICS presents an opportunity for Africa to strengthen its ties with these major emerging economies. It is now a decade since Africa’s part in the BRICS was called upon, and the most recent additions have served to realize this ambition.
The BRICS shared this sentiment clearly in its 2013 theme, “BRICS and Africa – partnerships for integration and industrialization,” and clarified that increased African representation would lead to unlocking potential for cooperation between the BRICS and Africa.
Likewise, Africa has much to offer the BRICS, given its huge potential in economic development prospects, abundant natural resources, growing consumer power and favourable demographics.
In recent years, the BRICS have expanded their involvement in Africa, and the share of BRICS in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows and trade volume to Africa has surged considerably.
China has become Africa’s largest trading partner and creditor in recent years under programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative. Likewise, the partnership between India and Africa has significantly promoted the development of the continent’s small- and medium-scale enterprises.
Similarly, Brazil and Russia have been heavily involved in Africa’s mining and energy industry through public-private partnerships.
To date, China has strategic partnerships with 53 of the 54 African countries with investments ranging from industry to agriculture to socio-economic sectors. As of September this year, China signed strategic partnerships with all the African countries with diplomatic relations.
China said the total investment will be divided into a credit line of around $29,8 billion, while another $11.3 billion will be given in assistance. In the same vein, a total of $9,9 billion will channeled to Africa through investment by Chinese companies across the continent of 1.2 billion people.
“I actually see a lot of African countries joining BRICS because Africa wants a new world power that would crush the existing global power and some would join for various reasons including improving their economies and trade,” Dr. Ndimancho told the press.
“Being part of a much larger whole is a viable ambition…today, strategic materials, I’m talking about cobalt, coltan, zinc and all the other mining materials that make China powerful today, come from the DRC,” so Africa has a lot to offer the BRICS.
“BRICS is bringing in a new dynamic, that Africans have not seen for some time. Remember that Africans were dealing with an old system. A system that they have known through slavery, slave trade, colonialism, imperialism and all of those,” Ndimancho is quoted.
