Africa’s Global South Advantage: Unlocking BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s opportunities

By Correspondent

October 24, 2025 – Lusaka

It has become increasingly evident that more countries are expressing interest in joining BRICS, drawn by its growing economic and trade benefits.

This comes amid a decline in Western global dominance, paving the way for a multipolar world order.

In this evolving landscape, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have emerged as key platforms uniting much of the Global South.

Founded in 2001, BRICS initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which joined in 2010. The bloc has since expanded, welcoming new members such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

A new membership category, known as “BRICS+”, now includes partner nations like Nigeria, Uganda, and Algeria.

Collectively, the BRICS+ countries account for about 40 percent of global crude oil production and exports, 25 percent of global GDP, two-fifths of world trade in goods, and nearly half of the world’s population, according to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Stavros Nicolau, a member of the BRICS Business Council in South Africa, noted that Africa’s trade deficit with BRICS members—especially China—can be reduced through value addition to raw materials and trade in processed goods.

Similarly, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)—a Eurasian political, security, and economic forum—was established in 2001 and includes members such as China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, and several Central Asian states.

Both BRICS and the SCO offer tangible benefits to Africa, including:

Access to new investment and project financing sources

Trade and market diversification

Energy and natural resource partnerships

Infrastructure and connectivity development under Belt and Road synergies

Technology transfer and research cooperation

Agriculture and food security initiatives

Enhanced diplomatic leverage and voice in global governance

Africa can also leverage its participation in these blocs to advance intra-African trade and regional integration, in line with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Among the BRICS founding members, Russia continues to prioritize cooperation with African partners on both bilateral and multilateral levels, including engagement through the United Nations and other regional platforms.

Although BRICS has occasionally faced criticism from Western nations seeking to discredit the bloc, its 2025 Summit in Brazil demonstrated unity among members. The final declaration included 126 consensus points, showing cooperation even among traditional geopolitical rivals such as India and China, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Iran and Saudi Arabia.

This consensus underscores BRICS’s commitment to building a fair, multipolar world and an equitable system of global management.

Africa’s steady progress toward independence, unity, and multilateralism continues to strengthen the continent’s role in shaping global economic and political discourse.

Collaboratively, the Global South is asserting itself as a vital force for peace, development, and balanced global governance.

Benefits for Zambia

For Zambia, both the BRICS and SCO present significant opportunities to harness the growing momentum of the Global South. The country can draw lessons from Mozambique, which is in the final stages of joining BRICS.

Experts at a recent BRICS roundtable observed that the bloc’s expansion offers countries like Zambia the chance to diversify exports, trade in value-added products, and reduce dependence on raw commodity exports.

With South Africa—a founding BRICS member and one of Zambia’s major trade partners—already playing a key role in the bloc, Zambia stands to gain substantially from closer engagement through trade, economic, and financial cooperation.