By Shen Chen

The BRICS countries are representatives of major developing countries, and Africa is the continent with the largest concentration of developing countries. The rapid economic growth of the two countries together constitutes the collective rise of the "global South" since the 21st century. The two expansions of the BRICS summit mechanism took Africa as an important direction, and the "BRICS Plus", "Friends of BRICS" and New Development Bank mechanisms are also committed to building a broader partnership with African countries. After the expansion of BRICS membership, the African members and partners participating in BRICS cooperation have become more diverse, and the ability of "greater BRICS cooperation" to boost Africa's long-term economic growth has also been further enhanced.

1.Africa's growth is part of the rise of the Global South

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Global South, represented by the BRICS countries of China, India, Russia and Brazil, emerged as a major engine for global economic growth and the transformation of the international order. At the same time, Africa is also showing strong economic growth. Between 2000 and 2008, Africa's real GDP grew by 5% a year, more than twice as fast as in the 1980s and 1990s. Based on this, The Economist magazine proposed "Africa Rising" in 2011, considering African economic growth as part of the collective rise of the "global South".

Similar to the BRICS countries, Africa also has basic endowments such as a large population and rich natural resources. The population of Africa in 1914 was 124 million; As of 2023, Africa's total population is about 1.45 billion, a more than tenfold increase, and this number is set to grow further in the coming decades. Africa's demographic revolution has led to an expansion of the continent's urbanization, labor force, and middle class consumer base, which are the engines of Africa's economic growth. In addition, Africa is rich in natural resources, especially key minerals such as manganese and cobalt, which are related to industrial transformation. As the global economy continues to demand critical minerals and other commodities, Africa's participation in the global supply chain will also increase, thus forming another pillar of African economic growth.

Of course, population size and resource endowments do not account for all of Africa's growth. Research by the McKinsey Global Institute shows that natural resources and related government spending accounted for only 24% of Africa's GDP growth between 2000 and 2008, with equally significant growth in sectors such as wholesale and retail, transportation, telecommunications, and manufacturing. In terms of institutional construction, African countries have generally made significant progress in governance and business environment, with Cote d 'Ivoire and Rwanda among the countries with the most business regulatory reforms in the world. In 2018, 44 African countries signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), which aims to connect 1.5 billion African people into a single market, providing unprecedented opportunities for intra-African trade and investment.

In recent years, the internal and external environment facing African economy has become more complicated. Externally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the African region has faced systemic challenges such as food shortages, soaring energy prices, increasing debt repayment pressure and shrinking global trade. The International Monetary Fund expects sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth rate to fall from 4.0% in 2022 to 3.3% in 2023, leaving little hope of achieving total poverty eradication by 2030. Internally, South Africa has been Mired in a long-term economic downturn since the 2008 international financial crisis, and some African countries such as Egypt and Ethiopia have not been optimistic about governance problems, political corruption, military coups and ethnic conflicts and other chronic diseases. However, as the basic endowment that supports Africa's long-term economic growth has not changed, African countries still have a large economic potential, and BRICS membership expansion is expected to become a new opportunity for Africa's development and transformation.

2.Africa has always been an important direction for BRICS membership expansion

Since the first BRICS leaders' meeting in 2009, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has been formally expanded twice, each time involving Africa. The first BRICS expansion took place at the third BRICS Summit held in Sanya, China in 2011, when BRICS leaders agreed to admit South Africa as a new member, and the group was renamed "BRICS". Although the economic scale is not as big as other BRICS members, South Africa is a regional power in Africa, with relatively mature industrial and financial markets, and has the ability to become the gateway and frontier of BRICS cooperation with Africa. Brics also provides a platform for South Africa to demonstrate international leadership. By building a bridge between BRICS and Africa's development, South Africa is able to speak more effectively for its own interests and those of the continent.

The second expansion of the BRICS cooperation mechanism took place at the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2023. At this summit, Egypt, Ethiopia and other African countries were invited to join. Egypt is located at the border of the Middle East and North Africa and has always been the focus of contention among great powers. Egypt's active participation in and promotion of the Non-Aligned Movement, together with other countries of the "Global South" to resist interference by major powers, has enhanced its appeal in the international community. Ethiopia is one of the origins of African civilization and the only country in Africa that did not experience colonial rule. At present, Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and is also the headquarters of the African Union, and its regional influence cannot be ignored. With the accession of Egypt and Ethiopia, the number of African members of BRICS has increased to three, further increasing Africa's representation and voice in BRICS cooperation.

During the BRICS summit, the rotating presidency of the year usually holds informal meeting mechanisms such as "BRICS 4" and "Friends of BRICS" to increase dialogue and cooperation between BRICS members and other countries of the global South. For example, South Africa, as the BRICS chair in 2023, invited BRICS members and candidates to the "Friends of BRICS" meeting, which resulted in the second BRICS expansion. At the same time, South Africa also held the "BRICs-Africa" meeting and the "BRICS Plus" dialogue, inviting all African heads of state, as well as 20 leaders of international and regional organizations, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, to attend, creating the largest BRICS summit. In addition, supporting activities such as the BRICS Business Forum and the BRICS Think Tank Meeting also adopted different forms of "BRICS Plus" cooperation, and participants held in-depth discussions on topics such as promoting African economic growth, which fully embodies the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation.

It is worth noting that the New Development Bank is a relatively independent institutional framework, and its membership expansion process does not fully overlap with the BRICS cooperation mechanism. South Africa is a founding member of the New Development Bank and is home to the bank's regional center for Africa. Egypt officially joined the New Development Bank in March 2023 and was invited to become a full member of BRICS in August of the same year. Ethiopia is already a member of BRICS but has not joined the New Development Bank. The New Development Bank provides a flexible and inclusive institutional framework for BRICS countries to participate in Africa's development, deepening bilateral economic cooperation between China, India and Africa over the past decades, and expanding BRICS partnerships on poverty reduction, food security, innovative development, infrastructure and industrialization.

3.The greater BRICS cooperation has contributed to Africa's sustained growth

Affected by populism, protectionism and other ideological trends, economic, trade, investment and development cooperation between developed countries, BRICS countries and African countries have come to a standstill. On the contrary, South-South economic cooperation between BRICS countries such as China and India and Africa has been significantly strengthened. After the expansion, Africa will provide diversified investment and trade opportunities for other BRICS members, and the ability of "greater BRICS cooperation" to promote Africa's sustained growth will also be enhanced.

First, we should speed up the integration of mechanisms to enable new African members to deeply participate in BRICS cooperation. Over the years, the BRICS countries have concluded the BRICS Economic Partnership Strategy 2025, the BRICS Digital Economy Partnership Framework, the BRICS Food Security Cooperation Strategy, the BRICS Energy Cooperation Roadmap, the BRICS Initiative to Strengthen Supply Chain Cooperation and many other initiatives. New member states can be gradually promoted to join the above-mentioned initiative documents, or existing documents can be upgraded, especially for African member States to reduce tariff barriers, simplify trade procedures, and enhance the export competitiveness and added value of these countries. After the official expansion of BRICS membership, the New Development Bank, the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement, the BRICS Financial Think Tank Network and other mechanisms are also facing a new round of expansion. At present, the expansion of the BRICS financial think tank network is relatively flexible, and the New Development Bank and the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement need to conduct qualification negotiations with new members such as Ethiopia in a timely manner, so that they can integrate into BRICS practical cooperation as soon as possible.

Second, we can rely on the New Development Bank to carry out more extensive development cooperation with Africa. The New Development Bank has established an operating mechanism with streamlined institutions, efficient decision-making and flexible responses, and formed a development finance model that combines policy banks and commercial banks, and indirect and direct financing. With the addition of well-capitalized new members such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the paid-up capital of the New Development Bank will be further increased, and its lending capacity for developing regions such as Africa will also be enhanced. In addition to increasing investment in infrastructure, green development, epidemic prevention and control, the New Development Bank should also actively promote the building of the BRICS New Industrial Revolution partnership, support more African countries to participate in the China-BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership demonstration zone and other relevant mechanisms, and actively foster an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for technological development. Narrowing the development gap between the North and the South.

Finally, we need to strengthen position coordination and increase Africa's representation and voice in global governance. There are no African countries among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, South Africa is the only African country in the G20, and Africa has a very limited voice in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The BRICS countries are committed to building a more balanced and just international order, and actively enhance the voice of the "global South" countries, including African countries. After the expansion, the BRICS cooperation mechanism has expanded its diversity and representation, and its overall weight and influence in global governance have further increased, which is more conducive to promoting an equal and orderly world multi-polarization. Since the BRICS countries have a relatively high voice in global governance, African countries can use the "Greater BRICS cooperation" to integrate more African aspirations into the "BRICS voice" and "BRICS position", so that traditionally marginalized countries and regions can come to the center of the international stage, thus creating a more favorable international environment for Africa's long-term growth.

Shen Chen - Associate Researcher, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

International Cooperation Center