The BRICS group, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has emerged as a formidable force in the global economic and political landscape.
BRICS is an intergovernmental organization comprising eleven countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
Since its inception in 2006, BRICS has been recognized for its potential to reshape international relations.
At their October 2024 summit in Kazan, Russia, the original five members of the BRICS coalition-Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa-welcomed into their fold four new members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In January 2025, Indonesia became the bloc’s tenth member.
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Nine other nations have been officially designated as “partner countries,” and some two dozen have either been invited to join (for example, Saudi Arabia) or expressed interest in doing so (for example, Türkiye).
BRICS states including Russia have touted the group’s expansion as a defining moment, heralding the dawn of a post-Western world order in which the “global majority” is finally empowered.
The coalition is not a formal organization, but rather a loose bloc of non-Western economies that coordinate economic and diplomatic efforts around a shared goal.
Established in 2009, BRICS was founded on the premise that international institutions were overly dominated by Western powers and had ceased to serve developing countries.
At the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan in October 2024, the Kazan Declaration emphasized adherence to the UN Charter and supported diplomatic efforts for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.
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It expressed deep concern over the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian Territory, particularly the escalation of violence in Gaza and the West Bank, which resulted in significant civilian harm and displacement.
The declaration also noted alarm over the situation in Southern Lebanon and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
The discussion about the partner country modality resulted from the mandate established during the Johannesburg Declaration and its creation was announced at the Kazan Summit, in October 2024.
Partners are generally invited to participate in the BRICS Chancellors and Leaders Summit; however, they can also be present in other meetings if there is consensus among the members.
Throughout 2024, over 30 countries expressed interest in participating in the BRICS, either as members or partners.
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Recent Diplomatic Friction: Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Africa
At the recent BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in Rio de Janeiro, diplomatic friction surfaced as Egypt and Ethiopia the newest African members of the bloc voiced strong opposition to what they called preferential treatment for South Africa.
The dispute erupted over a proposed joint declaration that explicitly endorsed South Africa’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Both Egypt and Ethiopia rejected this clause, arguing that it contradicted the African Union’s position on collective continental representation.
Egypt and Ethiopia took issue with this wording, citing the African Union’s Ezulwini Consensus, which calls for two permanent UNSC seats for Africa to be selected by the continent as a whole.
Both Egypt and Ethiopia demanded that the statement either align with the Ezulwini Consensus or omit any reference to individual African states.
They insisted that African representation on global platforms must come through collective agreement and not unilateral endorsements within external alliances.
Their opposition was strong enough to derail the adoption of a final communiqué, and even the fallback option a Chair’s Summary was challenged, as the two nations insisted their reservations be formally recorded.
BRICS Expansion and Africa's Representation
BRICS, originally composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, underwent a significant expansion in 2023 by inviting six new members: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
With Argentina declining the invitation and Saudi Arabia’s status remaining unclear, Egypt and Ethiopia formally joined in 2024, giving Africa three full BRICS members the highest continental representation in the group.
This expansion was seen as a strategic effort to increase the bloc’s global influence and credibility as a voice of the Global South.
The diplomatic rift in Rio centered on language in the draft declaration that supported South Africa, along with Brazil and India, in their aspirations for permanent UNSC seats.
While previous BRICS statements have expressed support for broader Security Council reform, this marked the first time South Africa was explicitly named as the sole African candidate.
South Africa's Role and Emerging African Voices
South Africa has historically positioned itself as the primary African voice in global forums, including the G20, the UNSC (as a rotating member), and BRICS.
Its close relationships with major powers like China and Russia, and its early entry into BRICS in 2010, have helped solidify that image.
However, Egypt and Ethiopia two of Africa’s most populous and geopolitically influential countries are now asserting themselves as equally legitimate continental leaders.
The incident underscores broader challenges facing BRICS as it becomes more diverse.
While the bloc aims to present a united alternative to Western-led institutions, internal divisions especially between regional powers threaten to undercut that goal.
The Rio standoff also spotlights Africa’s ongoing struggle to present a unified stance in international forums.
Though the Ezulwini Consensus represents the official AU position, in practice, national ambitions often override regional unity.
The Path Forward: Challenges and Opportunities
The next BRICS summit, set for July 2025 in Russia, will be a critical opportunity to address these internal divisions and revisit questions around fair representation.
For Africa, the challenge will be reconciling national interests with a common continental agenda.
If Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Africa can work together to advance a unified African position within BRICS, the continent could significantly boost its influence on the global stage.
But if rivalries persist, they could fracture Africa’s voice in one of the world’s most influential emerging alliances.
Arguably it also suggests that by accepting new members, South Africa at least has weakened its position in the world.
If one believes in the paradoxical notion of conceding national sovereignty to gain greater collective sovereignty, South Africa might be stronger in a bigger BRICS - as perhaps Egypt and Ethiopia are.
Egypt's Accession to BRICS: Opportunities and Challenges
Although joining BRICS is an exciting economic prospect for many governments, the addition of new member states has not been without controversy.
In Egypt, news of the nation’s accession to this institution has fueled a heated internal media debate on the feasibility of the move and its impact on the deteriorating economic situation in Egypt.
On August 24, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced during the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg that Egypt-along with Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Argentina, and Ethiopia-are set to join the bloc starting from 2024.
This announcement came at a time when Egypt is suffering from a severe economic crisis represented in heavy foreign debt, collapse of the Egyptian pound, unprecedented inflation, and a chronic trade balance deficit.
In the aftermath of the decision, Egyptian media has approached the question of what this announcement means for the country from several angles, mainly aligned with their attitudes towards the state.
The BRICS grouping includes some of the world’s major economies; its membership includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
The grouping represents about 30 percent of the global economy and 43 of the world's population.
Of particular interest to a wheat-hungry Egyptian economy, these countries produce more than one-third of the world’s grain.
In creating this economic bloc, the founding countries set out to achieve a number of economic, political, and security objectives that would encourage economic cooperation.
Al-Ahram also claimed that the BRICS grouping will herald a shift in the international order that puts an end to the dominance of the West over the world economy.
Pro-regime media anchor Ahmed Mousa described Egypt’s accession to BRICS as a “political earthquake” which will greatly benefit Egypt.
