The Global Chair of the BRICS Business Council, Busi Mabuza, has encouraged African leaders to prioritize the development of their countries by embracing non-traditional alliances and partnerships.

She believes that moving away from ideological constraints and focusing on mutual growth and investment opportunities is essential for African nations’ progress.

Ms Mabuza’s comments were made during an interview with JoyNews on the sidelines of the BRICS business forum held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The forum was organized by the BRICS Business Council and coincided with the 15th BRICS summit, an annual meeting of leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

BRICS, an economic alliance comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, represents around 40 percent of the world’s population and 26 percent of global trade. The theme of this year’s summit was “BRICS and Africa: Partnership for mutually accelerated growth, sustainable development, and inclusive multilateralism,” indicating the alliance’s intention to expand its engagement with more emerging economies, particularly in Africa.

Over 20 countries, including Nigeria, have officially applied to join BRICS. Ms Mabuza welcomed Nigeria’s application, highlighting Nigeria’s significance as the continent’s largest economy. She also suggested that Ghana, another influential African nation, should consider applying for membership as well, given its initiatives in trade linkages and attracting investments.

Ms Mabuza emphasized the importance of African nations and the private sector in Africa shedding ideological constraints and focusing on development. She highlighted the positive experience of South Africa’s partnership with BRICS nations over the past decade, where the emphasis has been on mutual benefit rather than imposing ideologies. She encouraged African countries to actively participate in such partnerships for their collective advancement.