OPINION: BRICS and the Global South’s rising confidence

As leaders of the expanded BRICS grouping prepare to meet in New Delhi this weekend, the September 12-13 summit arrives at a moment when the Global South is demanding more than recognition.

It is seeking more space to shape the decisions that influence trade, finance, development and international governance.

India’s hosting of the 18th summit therefore carries significance beyond the gathering itself. It offers a window into how emerging economies are increasingly organising around shared interests in a changing world.

BRICS has travelled a distance since its original formation. What was once a compact grouping of major emerging economies has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia, alongside its original members.

Its growing membership is perhaps the clearest indication that many developing countries see value in platforms that widen their economic and diplomatic choices.

Developing economies face common pressures, including expensive financing, uneven access to technology, fragile supply chains, energy challenges and the need for infrastructure capable of supporting industrial growth.

Many countries want international institutions to better reflect the economic realities of the 21st century.

Its expansion should not be reduced to a contest between geopolitical camps. Its broader importance is that it provides countries of the Global South with another space to exchange ideas, coordinate positions and pursue cooperation while retaining their foreign-policy choices.

For Africa, this matters greatly. The continent is entering a period in which economic diversification, industrialisation, digital transformation and value addition will determine its ability to create jobs and raise living standards.

African countries need markets for their products, capital for infrastructure, technology for productive sectors and partnerships that can strengthen local capacity.

An expanded BRICS can contribute to these objectives. Its growing economic weight creates opportunities for stronger South-South trade and investment.

The New Development Bank headquartered in Shanghai, China, for instance, has demonstrated the potential of institutions created by developing economies to support infrastructure and sustainable development. More such initiatives could give countries additional avenues for financing projects that are central to their ambitions.

Kenya should view these developments through a pragmatic lens. Its interests are best served not by choosing between competing global centres, but by maintaining constructive relations with a wide range of partners.

A diversified international economic strategy can create more room to attract investment, expand exports, access technology and pursue infrastructure development.

Calls for reform of international institutions have grown as emerging economies have increased their contribution to global growth. Representation and decision-making should evolve alongside these changes.

A more inclusive system would give developing countries confidence that their priorities are being heard when rules affecting the global economy are negotiated.

The New Delhi summit also presents an opportunity to focus BRICS on outcomes. Discussions around trade, local-currency settlements, development finance, technology, energy, agriculture, healthcare and digital cooperation matter more to citizens than abstract geopolitical competition. If cooperation can translate into lower transaction costs, better infrastructure, new businesses, technology transfer and expanded employment, the grouping will demonstrate its relevance in tangible terms.

BRICS members have different political systems, economic structures, regional interests and foreign-policy priorities. They will not agree on every international issue, nor should uniformity be the measure of success. The ability to cooperate where interests converge may prove more valuable.

This flexible character also makes the grouping attractive to countries that do not wish to be drawn into rigid alliances. The Global South is confident about pursuing strategic autonomy, building multiple partnerships and making decisions according to national circumstances. BRICS reflects that changing mindset.

The role of the Asian economic powerhouse within this evolution is difficult to overlook, particularly because of its enormous manufacturing capacity, trade networks, infrastructure experience and technological capabilities.

Its long-standing support for South-South cooperation has also helped strengthen the practical foundations of BRICS collaboration.

Yet the grouping’s future should be understood as a collective endeavour rather than the project of any single member.

For Africa, the most useful lesson is one of opportunity. A changing global economy gives countries more scope to diversify partnerships and negotiate from a position of confidence. BRICS can become an important part of that landscape if its expansion continues to produce practical benefits.

The New Delhi summit should consequently be judged not by declarations, but by whether it strengthens cooperation that developing countries can feel in their economies.

If BRICS succeeds in turning its growing weight into trade, investment, development finance, technology and representation, its rise will signify something larger than the expansion of a grouping.

It will demonstrate that the Global South is moving from being an audience in global affairs to becoming an influential participant in shaping the future.

The writer is a Journalist and Communications Consultant