Is it time Africa took the Brics group of nations seriously?
(From L to R) President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) attend the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on August 24, 2023. PHOTO | AFP
The recent Brics summit in Johannesburg concluded with a surprising announcement: Brics is expanding its membership to include six new countries. Argentina, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia will now join Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in their exclusive club.
With a combined 40 percent of the global population, 25 percent of the global GDP, 30 percent of global food production, and 20 percent of global trade, Brics boast considerable economic and political potential. This expansion aims to multiply this potential to create a new centre of gravity apart from the West.
