How Africa can leverage Brics to navigate shifting global order

Since returning to the White House almost two months ago, President Donald Trump has significantly altered international negotiations, shifting from collaboration to coercion.

His tactics of arm-twisting have raised concerns among global policymakers, even pushing America’s traditional allies into awkward positions.

For example, UK Energy Minister Ed Miliband is visiting Beijing to revive the UK-China Clean Energy Partnership, focusing on carbon capture, storage technology, and hydrogen power generation, signalling a departure from American leadership on global issues.

While Trump has met with various leaders, Africa has been notably absent from his foreign policy agenda. With the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) set to expire in September, it is crucial for African leaders to begin charting their own path, particularly as the continent faces setbacks like the suspension of USAid.

The global political landscape has shifted dramatically under Trump’s presidency. His "America First" policies have strained longstanding alliances and undermined multilateralism, leaving African countries vulnerable to the whims of a transactional United States.

Read: Agoa’s uncertain future: How Trump’s America First policy will impact Africa

However, this shift presents Africa with an opportunity to leverage the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) bloc. Brics represents a powerful coalition of emerging economies that together account for more than 40 percent of the global population and nearly a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product.

Initially seen as a counterbalance to Western-dominated institutions, Brics has the potential to reshape the global order, prioritising the interests of developing nations, including Africa. South Africa’s membership is a step in the right direction, but Africa’s participation in Brics needs to be expanded and deepened.

The current diplomatic quagmire between the US and South Africa mirrors what Trump-Africa relations is likely to look like and this should be awake up call to the continent’s leadership that if they fail to act now, they will be caught off guard and naked.

After the US froze foreign aid, its allies have followed suit. Therefore, it is time for African leaders to seek global partnerships that will empower the continent toward self-reliance, rather than continued dependence on aid.

Several African countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Algeria, Ethiopia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, have formally applied to join Brics. Their interest goes beyond economic cooperation; they also seek solutions to global challenges such as climate change, which the US and its allies have largely ignored. Africa has borne the brunt of issues like dollar dominance in international trade.

The US-driven global financial system often leaves developing countries facing higher interest rates, while richer nations benefit from lower rates, exacerbating the economic divide.

Brics provides an alternative to this Western-dominated system. Through the New Development Bank, Brics offers financing for infrastructure projects with fewer conditions compared to Western-backed institutions like the IMF and World Bank.

This model, more flexible and sensitive to Africa’s unique challenges, provides an opportunity for debt sustainability, infrastructure development, and social growth.

China’s growing influence within Brics, especially through its Belt and Road Initiative, also benefits Africa. China has made substantial investments in Africa, focusing on transportation, energy, and technology, which are key to the continent’s development.

As Brics expands, African nations must ensure they are at the negotiating table, aligning their development needs with the bloc’s growing influence.

Historically, Africa has been dependent on Western powers for trade, investment, and aid, often forced to adapt to the terms dictated by these powers. Brics represents an opportunity to forge new, more balanced alliances that better reflect Africa’s interests.

The Trump administration’s transactional approach left many African leaders disillusioned, but Brics provides a platform where African countries can engage on their terms, with greater autonomy.

Moreover, Brics nations have demonstrated a commitment to multilateralism—unlike the US under Trump, which often eschewed international cooperation. Brics has advocated for reforms in global institutions such as the UN Security Council and the World Trade Organisation, calling for greater representation of developing countries.

Through Brics, Africa has a platform to push for reforms that better suit its developmental needs.

A key benefit of Brics is the opportunity for African nations to integrate more fully into the global supply chain. Traditionally, African countries have been relegated to raw material exporters. By aligning with Brics, African nations could move up the value chain and become key players in manufacturing and technology.

China, in particular, has been instrumental in helping African countries develop manufacturing capabilities. Brics offers a pathway to industrialisation, job creation, and economic diversification—essential for reducing Africa’s reliance on commodity exports and building sustainable economies.

It is worth noting that while the Trump administration’s approach to foreign relations has left Africa in an exposed position, Brics presents an opportunity for African nations to shift the balance of power. By deepening their participation in Brics, African countries can advance their economic and political agendas, secure funding for critical infrastructure projects, and promote industrialisation.

With its focus on multilateralism and equitable global governance, Brics offers Africa a powerful platform to reshape the global order in a way that better reflects its interests and development needs. The time has come for Africa to seize this opportunity and assert itself in the new world order.

The writer is a Journalist and Communication consultant