Quote: We are a force for global reform that is inclusive, fair, equitable and we will speak to anyone, including the global West - Prof Anil Sooklal, Brics sherpa
The expansion of Brics and the dedollarisation of the global economy will top the agenda when African leaders and 24 of their closest allies meet at the 15th Brics summit next week.
South Africa’s Brics “sherpa” Prof Anil Sooklal says heads of state on the continent will use the summit to push for greater independence, leadership and ownership of their own destinies in terms of trade, finances and the geopolitical architecture.
“The time of the global south has arrived. You can’t keep us back. Our time has arrived to provide leadership and determine the new geopolitical multipolar architecture that we are speaking of,” he said.
The sherpa, who was appointed by former president Jacob Zuma in 2016, has been preparing for the summit since 2021. (Sherpa in this sense, a pun on the Sherpas of Nepal, is a diplomat who makes preparations for a political summit.)
Sooklal, who is tasked with delivering President Cyril Ramaphosa a successful summit on August 22-24 at the Sandton Convention Centre, says the bloc is not anti-West.
“We are open to discussion and dialogue with all countries of the world. We were never formed in opposition to any grouping; we are not a counterweight to any grouping, nor are we in competition with any grouping.”
Suggestions that Brics was in competition came from the West “who are the ones saying we are juxtaposing Brics because they see Brics as a powerful force; they see it as competition to the current global domination”.
“‘We are a force for global reform that is inclusive, fair, equitable and we will speak to anyone, including the global West, who wants to work sincerely for real reform of the global governance architecture.”
He explained that Brics is not a political gathering but a grouping that seeks to develop the economies of its partners.
We are a force for global reform that is inclusive, fair, equitable and we will speak to anyone, including the global West
— Prof Anil Sooklal, Brics sherpa
Of the 70 countries that have been invited, at least 40 presidents, deputies and foreign ministers have confirmed their attendance. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev are expected to attend virtually.
About 20 dignitaries, including the UN secretary-general, the AU chair, the president of the development bank and the secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area, have been invited.
Twenty-three countries have expressed their desire to join Brics, namely Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Vietnam.
International relations minister Naledi Pandor this week said South Africa’s overall trade with its Brics partners has increased by an average 10% a year from 2017 to 2021.
She said South African trade with Brics partners reached R830bn in 2022 from R48bn in 2017. Last year, Brics accounted for 21% of the country’s global trade.
Trade with China remains dominant but the share of other Brics partners also increased by 10% from 2021 to 2022.
However, she said: “South Africa continues to have a trade deficit in its overall trade with Brics countries. The urgent need for trade diversification as primary products continue to be the largest share of exports, therefore remains.”
This trade imbalance needs to change, said Sooklal.
“We want to be in a position where they buy more from us than we from them because they are massive markets. Between India, China, Brazil and Russia, it’s a population of almost 3.2-billion people out of a total of 8-billion people in the world, and we have access into those markets with these strong relations we have.”
Sooklal believes the summit will be a turning point in defining a new geopolitical outlook of the world.
“Many tried to undermine our chairship by falsely accusing South Africa of doing certain things, the pressure of the ICC’s warrant of arrest thinking that they can collapse the summit, but Brics proved that it is a powerful entity supported by countries in the global South,” Sooklal told the Sunday Times.
During South Africa’s chairship, Africa aims to strengthen ties with Brics countries.
“The current multilateral structure is not inclusive, it’s exclusive, dominated and manipulated by a few and all of the international organisations are there to serve only a few and themselves. That is why we have very carefully chosen the theme, Brics and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development and inclusive multilateralism.”
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